


Antoine D'Coolette and the AFF (Alternative Freedom Fighters): Origins.

by usuario99



Series: Antoine D'Coolette and the AFF. [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
Genre: Chaos, Chaos Emeralds, F/M, Friendship, Implied Sexual Content, Internal Conflict, Marvel References, Master Emerald, Mobius (Sonic the Hedgehog), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Rare Pairings, Romance, Teen Romance, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:35:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9858140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usuario99/pseuds/usuario99
Summary: Amadeus and Rosemary, parents of Tails, will be mentors to Antoine D'Coolette, and the three will seek to settle certain issues with the Knothole Freedom Fighters. But this will not please everyone, and soon differences will arise that could separate the team. My 1st fanfic, and 1st of my series "Alternative Freedom Fighters".





	1. Chapter 1: Return of two astute foxes.

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Antoine D'Coolette y los CLA (Combatientes por la Libertad Alternativos): Orígenes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10194254) by [usuario99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/usuario99/pseuds/usuario99)



> I'm just beginning with fanfiction. So, if anyone read my work, I ask you to please give your comments. They would be of great help to me (even if they are comments saying that my stories are horrendous). If you like my work, click on "Favorite" and / or "Follow", either for me or for one of my fanfics.
> 
> There is an Italian phrase that refers to what a diner should do after eating in a restaurant:
> 
> "Se avete mangiato bene, ditelo fuori. Se avete mangiato male, ditelo qui." ("If you have eaten well, say it out. If you have eaten bad, say it here.")
> 
> The phrase means that, if you have eaten a good meal, you have to go out and recommend that restaurant to others, and if you have eaten a bad meal, you have to complain to the restaurant chefs.
> 
> Dear Readers, please do the same when you read one of my stories: If you have liked some story of my authorship, recommend it to others; On the other hand, if you do not like them, send me a comment with your complaints.

On the planet Mobius, somewhere in the Great Forest of Northamer, on a warm spring morning, an alien-looking ship travels above the treetops. Soon, the ship arrives in a village. The village is called Knothole, and is the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters.

Several years ago, the Kingdom of Acorn had begun the "Great War" against the Overlanders; the Overlanders had a great advantage at first, since they were technologically superior, while the Acorn mobians avoided developing industry and lived in harmony with nature. At that time, Dr. Julian Kintobor had escaped from the Overlanders, and asked King Maximilian Acorn to allow him to work for the mobians; the King, convinced, decided to appoint Julian as Minister of War. From that position, he developed weapons that gave victory to the Kingdom of Acorn; however, when the Great War ended, Dr. Kintobor betrayed and overthrew the King, converted the entire population into robots (by robotization), converted the capital of Acorn (Mobotropolis) into the capital of his own robotic empire, took the control of the rest of Mobius, and called himself "Dr. Ivo Robotnik".

Since then, the KFFs (Knothole Freedom Fighters) have engaged in guerrilla warfare against their robotic dictatorship. The effort paid off: the KFFs, along with other resistance groups in different parts of Mobius, struck a blow to the Robotnik Empire a year ago; in that attack, Sonic Hedgehog (called by many "the world's fastest thing alive" for his ability to run almost as fast as light) and Princess Sally Acorn (the leader of the KFFs) used the Deep Power Stones to destroy "Doomsday", a powerful weapon with which Robotnik planned to end any resistance to his domain. Apparently, Robotnik had died, which allowed the Kingdom of Acorn and other mobian nations to begin rebuilding. But, a month before the present, Snively Kintobor, nephew and second in command of Robotnik, had recovered the conscience of his uncle and introduced it in a robotic body; surprising the world, "Dr. Eggman" (as it was called this robotic version of the dictator) rebuilt his Empire, forcing all Mobius to resume the war.

The ship lands in the middle of Knothole. From there, a blue hedgehog emerges, cheered by some villagers who had stopped their daily labors to receive it; this is Sonic, without a doubt. Next to him, there appears a marriage of mobian foxes of brown fur, taking hold of the hand; Amadeus, the husband, wears a military uniform and has a patch on his left eye, and his wife Rosemary is wearing a long purple dress.

Showing the village to the newly arrived foxes, Sonic says: "Ok... Amadeus, Rosemary, welcome to Knothole."

"I remember when this was a village where the royal family was traveling. It didn't change much." Says Rosemary.

Amadeus is somewhat astonished by the sight, and adds: "I can't believe that you managed to stay hidden for... How long? 10 years?"

"That's right. And Tails helped with his inventions to make it. My little brother is great." Sonic responds.

After a couple of seconds, Amadeus draw attention to that topic: "Speaking of Tails, when will we be able to see him?"

"He's usually busy at this time, but he's probably very happy to see them."

_"Sonic, you're back!"_

A young, brown-haired mobian chipmunk with red head hair dressed in a blue jacket and blue boots comes out of a hut. "You brought Mr. and Mrs. Prower."

"Yeah, and it wasn't that difficult, Sally."

"Sonic, you always say that." She responds.

"Your Highness, it's been a long time." Says Amadeus. "Sonic has told me about you. You've become a formidable leader."

"Thank you, Colonel. You can call me by my common name, it won't bother me." Sally replies.

"You deserve can call me Amadeus, if you like. My rank in the military lost its value a long time ago."

"Oh, come on, Amadeus, don't say that." Rosemary intervenes. "I'm sure that, with the Kingdom of Acorn restored, you'll have your rank again."

"Darling, I was able to reach Colonel by using ancient ways of fighting. In a situation like this, in the midst of a war with someone like Eggman, I doubt very much that I'll have my rank of Colonel again." Amadeus replies with regret.

"Remember: technology isn't the only thing that matters, _Colonel_." Sally replies.

"Sally is absolutely right, we're very successful, everyone can see it. Except Eggman, of course." Sonic adds, causing the 5 to start laughing.

_"Sonic, the generator is ready. You should see how well it works--"_

Sonic turns around, and finds Miles, the son of the Prower marriage, better known as "Tails" by his two tails. Knothole's child prodigy has oil stains on his gloves and golden pelage, a wrench in one hand, and stared in amazement at his parents. The couple had noticed, and now they're in shock; it was even noticeable in the Colonel, who normally carried a serious face.

"Mom... Dad... Are you guys?"

"MILES!" Rosemary shouts, teary-eyed, as she runs to her son to embrace him, paying no attention to the oil. Her two tails had quickly told her that it was her son.

"Miles... my son... Are you?" Amadeus can't give credit to his only healthy eye, and begins to walk slowly toward Tails and his mother. When he arrives, he hugs Tails suddenly; a tear runs down her right cheek.

"Well... Mission accomplished, as always." Sonic tells himself.

* * *

After the meeting between Tails and her parents, Sally decided to organize a special dinner to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Prower. At 8:00 PM, everyone gathered in a sort of "central square" at Knothole.

"Dad, Mom, these are my friends: the Freedom Fighters." Tails begins introducing team members to their parents. "You already know Sonic and Sally." He says, pointing to the "Hero of Mobius" and the KFFs leader.

"Yes, I thought you and Sonic were very friendly." Rosemary says, remembering what Sonic told them during the return to Mobius.

"Yes, he always took care of me, we're like brothers."

"Tails, you did a lot too." Sonic intervenes. "You two don't know how many times your intelligence has saved us, me and the whole team."

"It's good that you had someone to take care of you all this time, Tails." Amadeus adds.

After a moment, Rosemary turns to Sonic. "Also, a little bird told me that you and the princess are dating."

Sonic and Sally blush, but soon regain their composure (or they tried to do it, at least) and look at Tails, trying to look angry. "Tails..." they say at the same time.

"It's no big deal, bro. What's between you and _Auntie Sally_ is already an open secret." Tails answers, raising his hands in defense.

After this little outburst, Tails continues. "She's Bunnie Rabbot." He says, pointing to a mobian rabbit girl; her left arm and both legs were robotic.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Prower, it's a pleasure to meet you." Bunnie greets them with their southern accent.

"Honey, what happened to you?" Rosemary asks, referring to the robotic parts of Bunnie.

"That this?" Bunnie replies, lifting his robotic arm. "A 'gift' from Robotnik. Nothing serious." She seems to be calm, even cheerful, despite the fact of having her body in that state because of the dictator.

"He's Rotor Walrus." says Tails, introducing a male mobian walrus, who also has some oil stains on his hands.

"Welcome. Sorry for not being able to shake hands. It happens that I come to work." Rotor says, showing his greasy hands.

"Don't worry, my friend." Amadeus replies, reassuring the corpulent mechanic. "I understand what your work entails. Also, I've gotten dirty before, on the battlefield."

"Rotor and I take care of everything that has to do with mechanics and other things related to technology." Tails adds, with his characteristic smile.

Meanwhile, something surprises the Prower marriage: a young male mobian coyote appeared, his head hair neatly styled "stripe in the middle", wearing a military uniform. This young man looks old-fashioned and tries to look like someone superior, but it's obvious that he seems ridiculous to some of those present; in fact, it's noticeable that Sonic tries to hide a laugh, while Sally and some more don't hesitate to demonstrate that they don't tolerate the presence of the newcomer.

Tails, still smiling in a sincere way, began: "He is--"

"Antoine?" Said the Prowers at once, ignoring everything else.

The coyote, responding to the call, looks at the couple and, surprised to be recognized, take a military pose. " _Bienvenue_ , _Monsieur_ Colonel Prower." He replies, with his strong Mercia accent.

"You're the son of General Armand D'Coolette, are not you?"

"The same, Colonel." Antoine replies presumptuously. " _Madame_ Prower..." continues the young man from Mercia, bowing to Rosemary, and she respondes by bowing her head politely; she likes the boy's manners, however "old" they seemed.

Anyway, the marriage are aware that the boy is trying to impress them. Still, they approach Antoine, and Amadeus extends his hand solemnly. "I've not seen you for a long time, brave little one."

"It's great to know that you two are still alive. Given your experience, it would be an honor to learn from you... If you don't find it a bother, of course."

"'Brave little one'? It's obvious that this soldier isn't well in sight..." Sonic says to Sally in a low voice, still trying to hold back the laughter.

"Sonic, don't ruin this, please. They're very important people, besides being Tails' parents." Sally answers, also lowering her voice.

No one realized that both Amadeus and Rosemary had been able to hear Sonic and Sally. However, none of them shows any reaction, and continues their conversation with Antoine; they'll find out what this is about, at another time.

"On the contrary, _Tony_ , it would be a pleasure to resume your training." The Colonel replies, smiling broadly and leaning one arm on Antoine's shoulder. "Anyway, I'm from 'the old school', so I don't know if I'll be able to teach you anything that will suit you, and you've probably gathered experience with Freedom Fighters, right?"

When Antoine was about to respond, Sonic shouts. "Okay, it's time to eat!"

"Sonic, there's still plenty of time to eat." Sally says in a low voice.

"I know, but if I don't do anything, Ant will begin to boast about his 'achievements', and we know how unbearable he is. So I'm going to bring something to eat as an entrance, to kill the time." Sonic answers, also in a low voice.

Like the previous time, the Prowers listen to them without anyone knowing it.

"My love, could you and Antoine talk about military matters any other time?" Ms. Prower asks, trying to talk about another topic.

"You're right, we're beginning to resemble the Military Circle. A lot of--"

"A lot of useless old men, who almost never fought in battles, with a very high rank that isn't well known how they got it, and that they sit in a circle and sit there, doing absolutely nothing useful." Rosemary completes, automatically. "Yes, I heard you say that about a thousand and one times."

"That's the truth!"

"I know. The problem is you're getting repetitive, and when I'm telling you this, I'm getting repetitive as well."

And so, they continue for a while, amusing the others present, and amusing themselves for their own discussion, a discussion they seemed to have had on previous occasions.

* * *

The welcome party continued normally, with the assistance of King Maximilian. Robotnik had sent the King to "the Void", a parallel dimension from where a person couldn't leave without turning into crystal; on a mission of the KFFs, shortly before they attacked the weapon Doomsday, the King was rescued and it was obtained that he remained healthy when leaving the Void.

During dinner, the Prowers recounted everything that had happened since Robotnik's coup d'etat. It turns out that Rosemary also knew how to defend herself very well and knew about the art of war; this was demonstrated when Robotnik took power, since both she and Amadeus tried to resist together, even when Rosemary was pregnant with Tails. In the middle of the war, while Rosemary gave birth to her son, Amadeus was captured and robotized; when Mrs. Prower was discharged from the hospital, she left Tails in the care of Sonic's family, and departed to free Amadeus. Since then, neither of them had been seen again.

When Rosemary rescued Amadeus, both were abducted by an alien race called "Bem". The Bems took the Prowers to their home world, Argentium, where they had the technology to robotize and de-robotize any living thing whenever they wanted (at that point, Sally suggested asking them for that technology to the Bems). There, the Colonel was de-robotized; however, for a legal matter of the Bems, the Prowers had to stay in Argentium, although they managed to have a dignified life there. Finally, Sonic arrived, overcame a challenge imposed by the Bem, released the Prowers and brought them back to Mobius.

"Well, this has been... a strange story." Said the King, keeping a calm face and running a hand over his chin, when the newcomers finished their story.

Later, the Prowers talked with Tails on the most diverse matters. It was obvious the pride and happiness they felt for the achievements of their son, who even showed them his ability to fly by twisting his two tails like the blades of a helicopter.

At midnight, after eating the cake made by Rosie (who took care of Knothole at the current KFFs when they were still children), the party was over. At that moment, Antoine quickly returned to his hut, without speaking to anyone; in fact, after his meeting with the Prowers, he had hardly spoken during the party. Sitting in the back of his bed, the boy thought of everything that had happened during the day; suddenly, he put his hands to his face, and began to weep disconsolately, in utter solitude and silence.

* * *

As the villagers returned to their respective homes, Tails continued talking to his parents for almost an hour, until the tiredness was too great; in the end, they decided to continue talking the next day. Sally and Sonic then took Mr. and Mrs. Prower to a reserve hut, where they would stay until a definitive home was built for them. When Sally left, Sonic turned to Amadeus and Rosemary at the door of the cabin.

"So you'll be Antoine's mentor, huh?"

"Well... Yes, I'll be his mentor." Amadeus replies. After a moment, he continues: "I have a casual question: Do you have any problems with Antoine?"

"Where did you get that?"

"For something we have big ears. We heard your conversation with Sally. In addition, it was obvious they were trying to suppress a laugh. And we realized when Sally rolled her eyes in a not very subtle way." Rosemary answered quietly.

After being silent for a moment, Sonic gave up. "Okay... I'll tell you." To be honest, Ant is boastful and useless, he doesn't know how to do anything, and it doesn't make sense to teach him to do something. He's a lost cause."

Rosemary's face changes to a serious expression. After a long silence, she replies: "How dare you say something like that without being ashamed?"

"And how dare you spy on the conversations of others?" He replies blatantly.

"It doesn't matter how we got that information." Amadeus intervenes. "Whoever does wrong is you. You're talking about someone without even knowing him."

"You're the one who talks about Antoine without knowing him." Sonic answers. The wrath of him and Amadeus gradually increase.

"You're wrong. I met Antoine, and I saw that he was brave and had great potential, despite being a bit old-fashioned or a bit shy."

"That was when Ant was only 5 years old, now he's 16, and it shows who he really is, especially after living with him all my life." Sonic responds mockingly.

After a moment, Amadeus's face relaxes, and he smiles mockingly, in response to the blue hedgehog. "I get it: you're jealous of him winning Sally's love."

"Me, jealous of Ant? Is it a joke? I have nothing to envy him, he's The Envious One." Responds Sonic, proud of himself. "Ask the other Freedom Fighters and the other villagers, and you'll find that everyone agrees with me: Ant is frightened by anything, and always escapes at the first sign of danger; he says he can be a gentleman, but he's clumsy. He's not only very shy and nervous, he's the personified nervousness; he's much more antiquated than the King himself, he's inopportune when he speaks, and he's always saying ridiculous things and asking silly questions when we're planning the missions; and to conclude, he has always been the worst conceited in Mobius, and I dare say he's been like that ever since he was born. Maybe I'm a little smug too, but at least I have real achievements, and I don't presume to have performed false exploits extracted from tales of medieval knights."

Sonic continues to smile mockingly, although his anger is partially noticeable. Amadeus remains silent and poker-faced, in a heavy silence, and finally he and Rosemary enter their house an closed the door. The discussion is over, at least for now.

* * *

"Sonic seemed pretty sure of everything he said. Do you think there's any truth to it?" Amadeus asks his wife when Sonic walks away from the house.

"Even if it's true, I think what else is in Sonic's words is rage." Rosemary replies, pondering the matter. "On the other hand, I know that you can solve Antoine's problem, whatever it may be. Do the same thing with the soldiers, talk to him as what he really is: someone with emotions, with their particular virtues and defects."

"I think you should talk to him. You're the one who writes books and knows about oratory. Was it not you who wrote me a speech to motivate the troops on one occasion?" Her husband replies in jest.

"So are you going to train him?" Rosemary asks after a moment.

"I think he still has potential, but first we have to talk to him." Amadeus replies.

"Surely, in these ten years, Antoine would have been unlucky enough to have his own weaknesses outweighed his friends' weaknesses, apart from his tendency to brag. In response, the other Freedom Fighters scoffed at him and excluded him. Teens... "Rosemary sighs. "Antoine must be suffering a lot right now, I'm sure. Who could endure this situation for a decade without suffering mentally? We would have to help him in some way, but considering what he had to live, I can bet that we'll be in front of a very closed Antoine. Maybe we can ask a little help to Tails, he's quite intelligent and he has a good heart, and obviously he's not the kind of person who makes fun of others' faults. And this also would be an opportunity to do something as a family. Imagine: the family reunited after so much time. Our son, me and... Amadeus, are you listening to me?"

While Rosemary was making his "dissertation", Amadeus had sat at a table, his head resting on one hand, looking at his wife, seemingly hypnotized by her. When Rosemary catches his eye, he just keeps looking at her.

"You're perfect, Rosemary. You're so beautiful, so intelligent, and you're also very good at fighting... You don't cease to amaze me."

Rosemary, smiling, grabs her husband in his uniform and kisses him, breaking the kiss several seconds later.

"I love you, _my Colonel_."

"I love you too, _my rose_."

"Am I your... rose? Amadeus, you're getting too cheesy."

"Well, there's nothing to do about it. We should go to bed now. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> "The old school": It refers to the traditional and / or ancient teaching of something.
> 
> "Kill the time": Doing anything, taking advantage of the time available until something happens.
> 
> "Where did you get that?": Refers to "How did you get that information?".


	2. Chapter 2: The rise of the soldier of Mercia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter of "Origins". Enjoy it!

"Mom, Dad, this is the Lake of the Rings." Tails says, showing their parents the site in question.

"I suppose this is where the Power Rings are forged." Amadeus says. "We saw Sonic using one of those rings on the Bem planet. I didn't know that Nate Morgan's work had survived."

That morning the day after his arrival, Tails' parents accompanied their son, who showed them Knothole and its surroundings. The three of them had decided to go on a picnic, and they took everything they needed.

On the way to the lake, Amadeus and Rosemary had talked to Tails about "the Antoine matter". It turns out that the child prodigy knew that Antoine presumed and told false stories, but he had also realized something else: the coyote had serious self-esteem problems, and his tendency to presume was caused, in part, by wanting to hide those problems. In addition, in recent months, Tails saw that Antoine had dark circles under his eyes, and came to hear him cry, one night when he happened to pass near his house. The young fox, moreover, disagreed with the way the KFFs treated the coyote, since they could have accepted their faults and showed him that boasting was wrong, thus avoiding all the conflicts between the KFFs and Antoine. When the Prowers asked his son if he wanted to help them, Tails promised to help as much as possible and try to talk to the other members of the team, but he also warned them that it wouldn't be easy to talk to Sonic: although the cocky sprinter has a lot of affection for Tails as a friend and respects him for his talent and his good judgment, he tends very much to despise others, and if Tails reveals his suspicions about Antoine, Sonic would immediately start mocking the coyote again, and in an even more hurtful way.

"We could settle here." Rosemary suggests, in reference to the shore of the lake.

After settling in, Tails gives two small electronic devices to his parents. "Here are your communicators, now you two will be able to contact me and any of the KFFs, and you'll even be able to specifically select who you're going to speak with at any given time."

"How did you get them?" Amadeus asks, as he looks at the communicator from different angles, intrigued by its small size and advanced appearance.

"I manufacture them."

"Do you build all this yourself? Here, in Knothole?"

"Yes, there are enough resources here to manufacture anything we need for the War."

"But how can you build something so small and delicate, and so advanced at the same time?" Rosemary asks.

"I've been off the planet for only ten years, and when I get back, people are communicating with super-advanced and almost microscopic devices... I'm getting old." Amadeus concludes.

"That's not true, Dad." Tails responds. Suddenly, the two-tailed fox finds a reed in the middle of his father's brown hair.

"Well... Maybe yes." He tells himself.

"And what's the scope of these communicators?" Rosemary asks.

"Actually, I don't know it very well." Tails admits. "I've never tried to see what the limit would be. I just know they have a pretty big reach."

"We could find out right now." Amadeus responds, getting off the ground and away from his wife and son. "Every 30 seconds, tell me something through the communicator. If I can get the message, I'll respond."

* * *

Five minutes later...

Amadeus walks near a cavern, when he hears Tails' voice through the communicator.

_"Dad, are you still there?"_

"I hear you loud and clear, son. I think I've already walked about 500 meters."

_"Wow! I never thought it could work at such a distance."_

"I'm going to sit and rest, okay?"

 _"Okay, we'll wait for you."_ This time, it is Rosemary's voice that is being heard.

Amadeus is about to sit on the trunk of a tree, but he hears something. The sound, sharp but very weak, comes from the entrance of the cave. The Colonel looks intently over, and sees someone dressed as a soldier, with blond hair neatly combed, hiding his head in his arms.

"That is..." Amadeus says to himself.

 _"What's it, Dad?"_ Tails asks, worried after hearing it.

"Antoine is here, hidden in a cave."

 _"What's he doing there?"_ Rosemary asks aloud.

"I would have to find out, but he seems to be crying." Amadeus replies.

 _"Be careful, don't scare him."_ Tails asks his father. _"I would prefer that we could take this opportunity and talk to him."_

Amadeus begins to approach Antoine, acting as if he passed by the cavern in a casual way.

"Tony?"

As soon as he heard Colonel Prower's call, Antoine rose from the ground and stood rigid, trying to look serious. " _Monsieur_ Colonel, I didn't know you would be here."

"It's all right. You didn't have to know."

"Could I ask what are you doing here? I hope I'm not a nuisance."

Amadeus smiles. "No, you're not a nuisance, I'm really not doing anything really important, I'm just making a bet on my son. He thinks that, perhaps, I'm old."

Tails freezes while listening to his father through the communicator. "I think he heard me." He tells himself.

After looking silently and attentively at Antoine, Amadeus breaks the silence. "Tony, is something wrong? Your eyes are bloodshot. I would say you were crying."

Antoine starts to get nervous. "Me, crying? Of course not. The children cry. I'm a soldier."

"Tony, you're 16, you're not an adult yet."

"Maybe, but I'm a Freedom Fighter. They never cry, even though they're the same age as I. So I don't cry either."

"I'm sure they've ever cried, I've done it myself sometimes, it's natural, a proof that you have emotions." Amadeus stops talking for a moment, then continues. "I know there's something that's affecting you. Tell me what happens to you. I'll help you, if possible."

Again, a long silence fell upon them.

"Did you ever find that your life doesn't make any sense?" Antoine asks the veteran fox warrior, avoiding looking directly at him. His voice is low and choppy.

"To be honest, no."

"I always wanted to be a brave warrior, to win Princess Sally's love, to have fame..." Tears begin to emerge in the coyote's eyes. "And what am I now? A useless, cowardly, contemptible... someone who can't live without bragging about false achievements... _je sius_... a lie... and also... a ballast..." He's already crying again, and speaks so loudly that he's almost screaming, while his voice echoes in the cave. "Sonic is the great hero who always saves the day, Sally makes the decisions, Tails and Rotor arrange machines and make inventions, Bunnie is excellent fighting melee, Rosie conveys her wisdom, the robotized Uncle Chuck sacrifices himself by working as a spy... AND WHAT DO I SERVE?! I only serve as a buffoon! That's my only role on the team! They laugh at _moi_ , they laugh at my suffering! Every time something bad happens, I'm the one who should carry the blame even though I've not done anything wrong! The only thing I really know how to do well is to cook, but they could do it without _moi_. And besides that, they're so hypocritical to keep me as a team member!"

Antoine drops and sits on the floor, giving up. Then, Amadeus sits next to him and wraps an arm around his shoulders. "Shhh, take it easy... I understand you. I never lived what you lived, but I still understand how you feel--"

Antoine walks away. " _Vraiment_? How do I know if you're being honest? How do I know you're not lying to me?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"For the same reason that others use."

"And what's that reason?"

" _JE NE SAIS PAS_!" Antoine remains silent after that outbreak. " _Oui_ , I'm a conceited, and I recognize that, and I know that's wrong. But now I can't help it... It's become an addiction... I feel like I have to keep an image in front of the others, and I still feel that although I failed... But the cruel ones were, and still are, the others. They could have shown me that I shouldn't boast, they could have accepted my weaknesses and helped me overcome them... but instead they decided to keep me in the illusion that I could be better and serve something, and they made fun of me at any small glitch... especially Sonic, _fils de p_ \--"

"Okay, Tony, save the insults for another time, I understand that you don't trust me... Listen to me, and listen carefully to me: you're not to blame for anything... and I think you can still be a good warrior. I'll see to it that you can do it."

After a moment, Antoine wipes his tears and nods to Amadeus's words. " _D'accord_... Where do we start?"

"Calm down, my friend... First let's talk a little." Amadeus says.

"As you say, St. Judas Thaddaeus." Antoine replies as a joke.

"Since when I'm St. Judas Thaddaeus?"

"Well, I'm a lost cause, and he's the pattern of lost causes. Is not it obvious?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> St. Judas Thaddaeus: Apostle and patron saint of lost causes and desperate cases. He is considered one of the most popularly invoked saints. He should not be confused with Judas Iscariot, an apostle who is credited with having betrayed Jesus.


	3. Chapter 3: Motivational talks and unconventional romances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the third chapter of "Origins".

It's at night in Robotropolis, although that's not easy to corroborate: the smoke of the factories forms a cloud cover that keeps the city in the dark throughout the day. What was once the quaint capital of the Acorn Kingdom, Mobotropolis, is now a lifeless area, full of dirty metal buildings and machines of an already obsolete technology.

Suddenly, two giant explosions occur simultaneously, and the lights of the city begin to fade. The two power generators -the main and the auxiliary- had been destroyed. In a bridge of command, Dr. Eggman shouts and vociferates against his archenemy, as always.

"¡SONIC! ¡Scoundrel hedgehog! I swear you'll pay for this! ¡Son of a b--!"

 _"Video call incoming."_ A robotic voice interrupts him. A screen lights up in front of the robotic Overlander, and a mobian appears. But it's not Sonic.

"Tails?" The self-proclaimed "doctor" can't get out of his astonishment.

 _"No, I'm your mother."_ Tails responds, pretending to be offended. The fox seems to be on the borders of the city.

"Don't tease me about her."

_"I'm sorry, I didn't know you loved her so much."_

"Love her? I have very bad memories of her."

_"Okay, I take it back. Oh, and it's a few minutes to run out of energy, so I recommend you turn on some emergency power generator that you have somewhere-- Oh, how silly of me, I forgot that I also destroyed that. Anyway... let's talk about the important thing. I think you know these two guys who are with me."_

Then, Amadeus and Rosemary appear on the screen, smiling and greeting. The dictator recognizes them and becomes even more enraged.

"Where did they come from?" Eggman asks.

Tails reappears on the screen. "I'm sorry, but that's confidential information." Then Tails looks at his watch for a moment. "Uhh, look what time it is..." he says, pretending to be worried. "I have to go. Prepare for the blackout, which I think will start in three... two... one... zero--"

At the very moment when Tails says "zero", the screen goes out, as well as the rest of the lights in Eggman's fortress, the only lights that were still on until now. As you might expect, another scream is heard.

"TAILS!"

"I think you should practice your 'scream of Tails' a little more, sir."

"Shut up, Snively!"

* * *

In Knothole, it's already 7:00 AM and it's just dawn. Bunnie, already awake, enters one of the huts.

"Sally, have you noticed Antoine?" Bunnie asks her leader and friend, who seems to be concentrating on something else. "It seems to be... weird."

"He's always weird." Sally responds to the cyborg girl, without looking at her.

Sally is checking records of food stocks, comparing them with records from previous months. It was common for her to remain absorbed in her work.

"But now he seems... How to say it?" Bunnie tries to find the right word. "Depressed... monotonous... bored..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was 'depressed', considering how defeated Ant is." Sonic had been leaning against the doorframe for some time. "Regarding him being 'monotonous' and 'bored'... I remember that he was always like that."

"Sonic, don't be like that. He tries to make things better."

The hedgehog closes his eyes and shakes his head at Bunnie's attempt to defend the coyote.

"Bunnie, Bunnie, Bunnie... Always making illusions for yourself... I don't know if you noticed, but Antoine is a passive for most of the 24 hours a day. Moreover, he's always goes around carrying that old saber and always he keeps it sharp and polished, but he never uses it or practices it. It's an ancient weapon, but if he knew how to use that sword, at least he could do _something_."

Bunnie sighs, trying not to look at anyone directly. "Sally, I have to take care of an important matter. If you want, we'll talk later." The cyborg girl is leaving the hut quickly, without waiting for an answer.

"Ok..." answers Sally, still focused on her work.

After standing for a moment looking at the door through which Bunnie went, Sonic turns to Sally, bewildered. "What was that all about?"

"What?" Sally asks, still focused on her work.

"Nevermind. It's nothing important." Responds Sonic, knowing that he couldn't attract the attention of his "girlfriend" in those circumstances.

* * *

Meanwhile, Antoine rises from his bed. The previous day, he had joined the picnic of Tails and his parents, at the invitation of his new mentor, Amadeus.

Their conversation with them had been a rare experience: they had never treated him so kindly, and he too had been very sincere with them. But now, remembering that, he feels motivated, confident... he feels more alive than ever.

They had talked about all sorts of things. For example, the classic forms of fighting and their utility in a war like the one they fought against Eggman. At one point, Antoine suggested to Tails the idea of incorporating into his saber a filament of some metal that would withstand high temperatures without melting, passing an electric current through it to heat it thousands of degrees, and use it in missions to cut the metal easily; Tails congratulated him for proposing that, and promised to work on that project when he had the opportunity.

As for his nerves, Amadeus simply advised him to breathe deeply, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his nose as well, whenever he felt nervous. He also warned that when someone makes fun of him or plays a heavy joke, it's usually done with the aim of making him angry; therefore, the technique of breathing deeply through the nose could also be applied to such occasions.

They had also spoken of the princess, and the four had agreed that, however Sonic was a hero, he wasn't the most advisable to rule. By then, Sally had gotten the King to approve their relationship, which meant that if Sally married the hedgehog and then crowned her as Queen of Acorn, Sonic would automatically be the new King, even though he hadn't made any merit in political matters, nor was he the most advisable for a position of such high responsibility. Antoine and the Prower family came to the conclusion that, if Sally and Sonic loved each other and wanted to be together, they could do it, but before that she should abdicate her title as heir to the crown, for the Nation's sake; by the way, she would also benefit by doing that, since she would get rid of the "torture" of having to comply with the protocol and everything else, and Sonic would be forced to prove that he loves Sally regardless of whether she's part of the Royalty or not.

Following on with Sally's topic, Antoine had admitted that he no longer had a chance to get the princess' love, and Rosemary advised him to let the matter run and find another bride, trying not to make the same mistakes again. The coyote didn't mention it to the Prower family, at the same moment, he was remembering Bunnie and saw a truth that he had always ignored until then: the southern cyborg had never mocked him, either openly or behind his back, and she always endured him despite his faults; she was the closest to a friend to Antoine, and now he was in debt to her.

It's already 9:00 AM. After breakfast, just before leaving home, the young soldier looks at the picture of Sally hanging on his wall. He looks at that photo for a long time, as he used to. But this time, something is different.

" _Mon dieu_ , what a waste of space!" He tells himself.

Then he quietly grabs the photo, pulls it out of its frame, wrinkles it into a ball, and throws it in the trash can.

"At last... I'm free."

* * *

It's about 10:00 AM, and the Prower family, after their victory, walks quietly through the Great Forest, in the direction of Knothole. Unlike Tails, his parents remain alert.

"Tails, are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Do not you think some Eggman robot will be following us, or keeping an eye on us from a tree, or something?"

"No one is spying on us." Tails responds. "This was true of the Robotnik Empire, it had a strong control over much of Mobius and we had to keep it. Eggman Empire is rather restricted to certain large cities with strong defenses, but its control doesn't extend beyond. Thanks to that, we reacted in time and we kept it at bay when it arose."

"And do not you think we should have warned someone that we were going to go on this mission?"

"If I had warned any of the team members about this, even if I told Sonic, then the news would have spread, and everyone would have started telling me _'It is too dangerous for you, Tails'_ , and that sort of thing. I only told about this to _one_ person, the only one I trust enough."

 _"Hey, Miles, this way!"_ A girl's voice is heard in the distance.

"Fiona!" Tails runs and overtakes his parents. When the Prowers see where that voice comes from, they find a red-haired mobian vixen with a bun tied in her reddish brown hair. She appears to be over fifteen years old, and possesses a rather attractive and developed body.

From afar, they see the encounter between their son and that girl, and they're shocked to see how they kiss.

"Dad, Mom, sorry for not introducing her to you before." Tails says, as he walks back to his parents, accompanied by the red vixen.

"Hi, I'm Fiona Fox, Miles's girlfriend." When they meet, Fiona greets the Prowers by the hand. Both Rosemary and Amadeus stare at her.

"How old are you, my dear?" Rosemary asks with a nervous smile.

"I'm seventeen."

The mother of the child prodigy still looks at Fiona. "Interesting..." she responds, and immediately afterwards, even with her nervous smile, she faints. Her husband manages to react and stop her before she hits the ground.

"Son, this is a very bad joke." Amadeus reprimands Tails while holding his wife.

"We're not kidding, Dad." Tails answers, looking back at his girlfriend. "It is not true?"

In response, Fiona gives Tails a long and passionate kiss; when they break the kiss, he blushes intensely.

"But... but... you're _ten_ years old... and she's _seventeen_  years old..." Amadeus stutters.

"Actually, I turned eleven, two months ago." Tails corrects him to his father, still relaxed.

"Mr. Prower, compared to the boys my age, Miles is much more reasonable and mature, and he's also more brave and gentle. Besides, he's very nice, a real gallant." Says Fiona, hugging her boyfriend. When they're placed together, the difference of height in the young pair is very noticeable: Fiona surpasses to Tails, by a difference equivalent to a head.

Tails and Amadeus (the latter, carrying Rosemary in his arms) resume their return to Knothole, with Fiona accompanying them.

"So, how did you guys become a couple?" Amadeus asks.

"It's a long story. It all started about a year ago." Tails begins.

"Shortly before the fall of the original Robotnik, I fell in love with a robot that imitated Fiona when she was ten years old; the robot tried to kill me, but I threw it into the water and I caused a short circuit. Some time later, with Robotnik already defeated, we freed several mobians from a prison camp, and there we found Fiona, but she was already sixteen and had a very different personality."

In this part of the story, Fiona takes the floor. "You could say that, at the time, I was resentful of the world. For a long time, I believed that my parents had abandoned me, and before I fell into prison, I dedicated myself to hunting treasures. But it was after being freed when I did the worst: knowing that Miles had fallen in love with me and that he was going to do anything for me, I took advantage of him. Finally..." Fiona pauses for a moment. "... I betrayed Miles and the KFFs, and I became another boy's girlfriend. That boy was the same age as me, and I liked him at first. When Miles came crying to ask me why I did that, I..." The vixen looks at the floor, embarrassed. "... I just slapped him, and I left him lying on the floor. At that moment, I felt pleasure doing that, but now... Sorry for the expression, but now I know that I behaved like shit. I just realized my mistake a month after betraying Miles: my new boyfriend was a fake, absolutely stupid, violent, unfaithful..." Tears begin to emerge from the vixen's eyes, and Tails puts a hand on her shoulder.

Fiona continues with her story. "One day, in Mercia, we were attacked by robots at the behest of one of those guys who was believed to be Robotnik's successor. My ex-boyfriend left me, but Miles saw us and came to rescue me. He had always loved me, always believed that I was a good person, he was always the only one who cared for me no matter what I had done, he defended me when other team members criticized me for my past, and also managed to get for me the Royal Pardon. I know this is going to sound like a romantic soap opera that is broadcast on television, but after being friends for a while, I realized that I loved him too. Miles is a lot more mature and responsible than many men I know and who are even older than me, even though I'm sin years older than him." At this point, Fiona had recovered her smile.

Amadeus was speechless. Meanwhile, they had reached Knothole.

"Let's go to my house, before anyone sees us." Fiona tells them in a low voice.

The four quickly made their way to Fiona's hut. Once they entered, The Colonel leaves lying in the sofa to Rosemary, who still hasn't awakened from her fainting.


	4. Chapter 4: Conflict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fourth chapter of "Origins" has arrived.

It's 4:00 p.m. in Knothole. Near his home, Antoine is practicing the few fencing lessons he received at the Academy before Robotnik's coup d'etat. Sonic finds him, surprised to see him practice with his saber for the first time.

"Hey, Ant! You're practicing..."

"Is there a problem with that?" While speaking, Antoine doesn't stop practicing nor looks the blue hedgehog.

"I must congratulate you. You're practicing the handling of a weapon... for the first time in 10 years!" Sonic starts to laugh. However, soon he changes his expression and he looks antonished to Antoine, since he continues practicing fencing and doesn't react to his joke. "Ant, is something wrong?"

"No, as far as I know. Could I know why you're asking that?"

Sonic tries to contain his laughter. "You happen to look so serious, etcetera."

"You misused that 'etcetera', but I understand what you're trying to say." Antoine replies, still focused on his training rather than on his conversation with the sprinter. "And in case you look for the opportunity to play some heavy joke, I give you a courteous warning: stay away from _moi_. It's nothing personal, it happens that I just sharpened this saber, and we all know how clumsy I am. Who knows what kind of unfortunate accident could happen?" Antoine stops his practice and looks smiling at Sonic, knowing that he's making his "competitor" angry.

* * *

Near the place, two women are walking.

"Sally, do you remember what I told you this morning about Antoine?"

"Yes, Bunnie, I remember it well:  _He seems... strange... and he also seems... How to say it?... Depressed... monotonous... bored... Oh, my God! What Antoine D'Coolette, my beloved gentleman, will be suffering from?_ " The chipmunk imitates the tone of voice of her friend exaggerated, although her friend doesn't seem to show any reaction. Then, she speaks normal again. "I don't think it's that bad. His problem will be solved by itself, and he will be the same again."

Everything is silent.

"I am not amused, _Your Highness_." Bunnie responds, trying to hide his anger, almost spitting out the princess's formal title. "And I never speak as you imitated me."

"Error: You speak that way. I know you're my friend, and I love you, but I must admit that it is hard to tolerate you when you enter those trances and start telling about your dreams of 'marrying someone brave and handsome' and all those things. Speaking of which, Antoine would be a great boyfriend for you. He shares those same fantasies drawn from stories of medieval knights, who rescue flimsy princesses, who in turn remain passive and await them in the highest room of a tower, in turn guarded by a dragon, which has the power to let out a breath so inflammable as to burn everything it touches, and so on..." As soon as she finishes, Sally takes a big breath of air.

"I also know that you're my friend, and I also love you, but I think that Antoine isn't receiving the consideration he deserves, and you don't do anything about it."

"What do you mean by 'the consideration he deserves'? Ant pretends that we're treating him like a knight without him having done any merit. To be knighted, he should at least _try_ to overcome his own fears."

"Maybe he isn't a hero like Sonic, but we must remember that everyone in Knothole, including Antoine and Sonic, we're mobians with our particular defects and virtues. We all deserve to be treated with dignity. In addition, he makes merit and tries to overcome his fears, accompanying us in each and every one of the missions."

"Bunnie, everyone is treated with dignity, there's no reason to complain. And with regard to the merits, to accompany us on the missions isn't a _great_ achievement, and he hasn't managed to overcome his fears during the missions."

"It turns out you're actually blind. Antoine isn't getting a fair deal, is being treated as someone inferior, as something disposable. He does his best to help, and I can say that he is one of the most loyal to the team and to our cause."

"The one who's blind is you. It's obvious that you feel some attraction for that... subject, although I don't know why."

Bunnie blushes. "A-- An-- Antoine... I'm not attracted to him. I only care about him, something nobody does apparently."

"What are you saying? We all care about Ant. It's he who doesn't return the favor. He doesn't even thank us."

"So he doesn't thank you, huh? Well, I tried to teach him martial arts, and even though I failed, he was very grateful to me. Why do you think he doesn't thank you? You guessed it: none of you did any good to him. On the contrary, when it comes to Sonic, you're still in love with him. You don't realize that, although that hedgehog has achieved so many things and wants the Eggman's fall as much as others, he's still a cocky idiot, he uses his 'charm' to affect your decisions, he almost doesn't comply with the plans you make for the missions, he treats as trash anyone who doesn't have any special power, and he despises anyone who proves that he's wrong. The only reason Sonic respects Tails is because of the affection existing between them two, but if that wasn't the case, he would call the boy 'a nerd' and make fun of him."

For some reason, the two girls still don't speak loudly enough to get anyone's attention, even though they're arguing hotly. Anyway, Sally is visibly worried. "Bunnie, could we talk about this in one better place, another time?"

"No no no no no. This issue will be resolved here and now."

Bunnie is about to speak again, but is interrupted.

_"AAAAARRRGH! ANTOINE! ¡What the f*** is wrong with you?!"_

The girls see where the shout comes from, and find Sonic with a horrible cut along his right arm. Next to him, Antoine continues training, even with his serious face and his bloody saber.

"My God, what happened?" Sally screams in horror, as she runs toward them with Bunnie.

"¡It happens that Antoine is a son of a b****!"

" _Merci_ , Sonic." Replies Antoine, who had stopped practicing before the arrival of Bunnie and the princess. "It's good to know that you congratulate my achievements." The soldier doesn't seem to be irritated by the sprinter's sayings.

"Does this seem like an achievement to you, asshole?!" Sally shouts at the swordsman.

"SALLY!" Bunnie reacts to the princess' insult to the coyote. "I'm sure Sonic did something for Antoine to react like this." Then the cyborg heads for the hedgehog. "Is not that right, _Maurice_?"

"Oh, come on! Bunnie, I didn't do anything wrong. And it wasn't necessary for you to call me by my first name."

"Why do not I believe you?"

"Hmm... Because you're in love with Antoine?"

"Have you heard that rumor too?! I just need the paparazzi to come and photograph me."

"Let's see, I'll explain it all: Sonic came to make fun of me, but he made me crazy, and when I wanted to account, I saw him like that." Antoine pauses, while the other three stare at him as if asking for more explanation. "That was all that happened."

"Ah, well... Ah, well...!" Sally replies indignantly. "Sonic ends up with a serious injury, and all the guy says is _'That was all that happened'_." This time, Sally imitates Antoine's accent, causing both the coyote and Bunnie to look disgusted at her. "Can you both take that expression out of your faces?"

"You know what? We won't take these expressions off our faces. What do you think?" The southern girl responds.

" _D'accord_ , I rectify what I said: that was not all that happened." The coyote intervenes. "I forgot to mention Sonic's idiocy."

"Here we go..." Sonic says, rolling his eyes.

"This time I have good reason to say that. I warned you that I was clumsy and that my sword was freshly sharpened."

"Sally, he wants you to believe that he's the victim, as always."

"Princess, he wants you to believe that I'm solely responsible for all this."

"But I'm telling the truth! He did it intentionally, hiding in those 'warnings'. Do not you realize?"

"You're the only one who seeks refuge in that theory, coward hedgehog."

Sally reacts. "You don't have the right to call him a coward, so shut up, you son of--."

" _Quoi_? How were you going to call me?" When answering to Sally, Antoine looks at her side and smiles, seeming to be still relaxed.

At that moment, the communicator rings in Antoine's ear. The swordsman answers the call, without changing the look on his face and still looking at Sally. "D'Coolette speaking. Who am I talking to?"

He hears the voice of Colonel Prower: _"Hi, Tony. Are you busy?"_

"I was practicing fencing, but it doesn't matter. What do you need, _monsieur_?"

" _Are you practicing? Okay, well, I'll call you later."_

"No, it's all good. I've been doing this for an hour, I can take a break."

" _Agree. Do you know where Fiona's hut is?"_

"I think so, but I'm not sure. Could you tell me where it is, _s'il vous plaît_?"

" _Of course. It's next to Tails' workshop."_

" _Merci_ , _mon ami_. See you there." Antoine finishes the call and goes to Sonic, Sally and Bunnie. " _Mesdames et messieurs_ , I had an unforeseen event, so I must retire. I sincerely apologize for not being able to accompany you in your discussions. _Au revoir_." Then he turns and walks away, heading for Fiona's house.

"Wait a minute. Who do you think you are?".

Antoine turns and confronts the hedgehog. "Don't force me, Sonic." He responds, feigning fatigue at his insistence.

"Forcing you to do what? Don't act like you're rude..." Sonic, threateningly speaking, holds the soldier's coyote uniform with his still-functioning left hand.

Bunnie is about to intervene, but she fails to react in time: Antoine, undeterred, takes the hand of Sonic and executes a technique of the martial arts that Bunnie had taught him. In less than a second, Sonic goes from standing to lying on the floor, and Antoine holds out the hedgehog's left arm, with the hand higher than the shoulder so that his opponent can't get up. After half a minute, he releases his arm and leaves without saying more.

"Antoine, wait!" Bunnie tries to reach the coyote, but then gives up, seeing him walk away.

Sally comes to help the hedgehog. "Sonic, are you okay?"

"Can you believe it, Sally? For years, he acts like a hen; then it's an emo; and the other day, he thinks he's a bouncer. Antoine is going crazy, is becoming unpredictable."

"Considering how you mistreated Antoine, for more than ten years, with the endorsement of your friends, it's expected that he will become like this." Bunnie replies.

"Bunnie, don't defend the indefensible." Sally asks.

"Even a serial killer is allowed to have a lawyer. Sally, don't be a hypocrite."

"Just... Go get the first aid kit. Bring me the first aid kit!"

"Okay, I'll not bother you any more." Bunnie retires, but walks very slowly, pretending she has to make a huge effort to move her robotic legs. This despairs and also angers the princess.

"Bunnie! Hurry up, dammit!"

"Sally, these legs weigh a thousand tons, and I'm not super fast like your boyfriend."

"Bunnie, don't be... Okay, I'll go get the first aid kit myself. Bunnie, get a medical appointment with Dr. Quack."

"You could have asked me that first."

While Sally goes to get the first aid kit, Sonic, still on the floor, extends his left hand towards Bunnie.

"I'll get you off the ground, Sonic."

Just like the previous time, Bunnie pretends to have a hard time walking. Sonic, on the floor, sighs.

"You obviously have rage for me."

"Please, don't say that... Why would I have rage for you? It's ridiculous..." Bunnie replies, smiling happily as she walks with "feigned difficulty".

* * *

A minute later, Antoine arrives at Fiona's hut. Upon entering, he finds that the Prower family is also there.

" _Et bien_ , what do they need from _moi_? I beg you to forgive my delay." Antoine asks.

"No problem, my friend." Amadeus replies. "We want to tell you that the four of us have already planned your training."

" _Parfait_!" The coyote exclaims, turning his eyes to Fiona afterwards. "And I suppose _mademoiselle_ Fox already knows this."

"That's right, Tony." The vixen responds, who then goes to Tails. "Shall we tell him about us, Miles?" She whispers to her boyfriend.

"Why not?" Tails asks his girlfriend, as a response.

" _Quoi_? What are you talking about?"

"Antoine, could you keep a secret?" Fiona asks the coyote.

The soldier thinks his answer. " _Oui_ , _mademoiselle_."

"Tails and I have a relationship... A romantic relationship."

Antoine is baffled. "Was it only that?"

"What, does not that surprise you?" Tails asks.

"Actually, I thought it would be something bigger." The soldier of Mercia admits.

"Well, this is _big_." Fiona answers. "I mean... An eleven-year-old boy with a seventeen-year-old girl. It's not something you see every day."

"Ok, you're right."

"There's still one more thing." Rosemary intervenes, already recovered from fainting since noon. "We'll form a new team within the Freedom Fighters. We'll carry out our own missions. And according to certain information we can find, we'll have to do a very important mission in six months."

Then Rosemary gives some papers to Antoine, who immediately picks them up and starts reading them.

Tails starts talking. "Eggman plans to make a new weapon of mass destruction, but his goal won't only be to destroy any enemy that stands in his way. He plans to use this as a bait to attract the KFFs and catch them. The 'Doctor' is going to show the capture of the whole team to the whole world, on television, given his megalomania. Also, since this is a weapon of a power comparable to 'Doomsday'..."

"Would not it be better for others to know all this, _madame_ Prower? They're going to fall into a trap in six months."

"For the time being, I'd better not tell them about this." Fiona says. "I don't think it's their interference that we need, and we have to take Eggman by surprise. If we free the KFFs, we destroy this super-weapon and frustrate Eggman's plan, all at the very moment when he goes on TV, he will surely be very upset and embarrassed, and won't come out in a long time."

"What's the plan, _compagnons_?"

"The plan is done, although we can still modify it, based on what happens in these six months." Tails reports. "But first, we'll visit Lupe Wolf and her Wolf Pack. We'll tell her the whole truth about our plans. I must admit that they're more reasonable than the KFFs, and I must also admit that Lupe is a more 'mature' leader than Sally. There, we'll prepare for the mission."

Antoine analyzes the situation for a minute. "Okay, let's do it." The coyote of Mercia says. " _Alors_ , when are we going to start all this?"


	5. Chapter 5: Baptism of Fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fifth chapter of "Origins", with lots of action.

Six months later...

"I still can't believe it. I still can't believe that I've managed to do this. And yet, there they are, cornered. I, the magnanimous Dr. Eggman, after so many years, have managed to defeat the Freedom Fighters."

The mad scientist watches the show from his personal vehicle, the Eggmobile. The KFFs learned a month ago about a new Eggman super-weapon, which was allegedly camouflaged as an abandoned factory in the ruins of Megaopolis, the Overlanders' former capital. When they went to sabotage it, they had fallen into a trap, and they're now in a dead-end, surrounded by robots, while the super-weapon remains safe and functional somewhere else.

"I know I'm going to look like one of those villains in the movies, but just listen to me because I speak very seriously: surrender, and I'll make sure that your end is quick and less painful."

"NEVER!" Sonic, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie and other team members scream at the same time. All except Tails. He looks around, relaxed and smiling despite what happens.

Eggman looks at a camera that is recording it. "Camera 3, focus on them." The camera, in response to the command, focuses on the KFFs.

"This day will mark the beginning of the Eggman Age. No one can stop me now--"

The dictator stops his speech, hearing a little giggle. It's Tails, the same one that was relaxing just a moment ago. His teammates look at him, finding this strange.

"Hey, kid! Stop laughing. You look ridiculous on TV. Do not you realize that this is transmitted to all parts of Mobius?"

"The one who's gonna look ridiculous on television will be you, my friend." Tails replies, and then continues to laugh, but more strongly.

"Oh yeah? What if you look at the camera and tell the whole planet how you could make me look ridiculous?"

"Considering that I'm a member of Freedom Fighters with an IQ above 300, don't you think this scenario could have been planned by me in advance? It's always the same, Eggman. You get your hopes up. You think that you, someone intelligent but also crazy, can control the world, but I'm much more likely to achieve it than you."

"It's obvious: you try to make a bluff."

"A bluff?"

"You know, as in poker."

"Oh... Yes, I know what you mean, although I don't play poker. It's boring, and it's also unhealthy, just like other games involving betting--"

"Can you stop your chatter at once?!"

"Okay, okay, you're right: I'm making a bluff, we have no plan B, etcetera. It's over, we surrender." Tails puts his hands on the back of his neck. "Is not that right, Frenchy?!"

_Pip-Pip- **BOOM!**_

A gleaming "walking arsenal" robot, from the new E-100 series, fades into a huge explosion. Since that robot casually kept little ammunition, the explosion doesn't become catastrophic. The other robots are disoriented, trying to find the culprit of the explosion.

"Don't waste time! KILL 'EM! NOW!" Eggman shouts at his robots. Two waves of them advance towards the KFF, but both are stopped by what appears to be a huge electromagnetic pulse.

Meanwhile, Tails spins his two tails and rises in the air. "I don't think he liked the idea of surrending!" He shouts at Eggman.

"Shut up!"

"Okay, I'm not gonna make any more jokes. This is a serious matter."

In the midst of chaos, the KFFs seize the opportunity and lash out at the robots. While Sonic destroys a SWAT-bot, another points the laser weapon of its arm from behind the hedgehog. When the robot is about to fire, an arrow strikes against its back, remaining attached to the armor of the machine without crossing it. In a sort of capsule located at the tip of the arrow, small red lights start to blink.

_Pip-Pip- **¡BOOM!**_

When Sonic turns around, he finds a scenario before which he doesn't know whether to feel saved or feel jealous: of the SWAT-bot that almost kills him, only its legs remain, still standing on the ground, and where before was the upper half of the humanoid machine, he can now see Antoine, standing on the roof of a nearby building. He's wearing a purple kevlar vest with some red details, matching pants, and purple glasses with red frame. Her blond hair looks a bit longer, and his hairstyle is still "stripe in the middle" style, but more sloppy. The coyote wears his saber fastened to the belt and a quiver filled with arrows on his back, and holds a strained bow, ready to shoot an arrow that seems to be advanced technology.

"What the f***...?" Sonic tells himself.

Meanwhile, another E-100 robot starts firing at the KFFs, but two electrodes connected to two Taser-like wires soon get stuck in its body. Electricity overloads the circuits of the walking arsenal, causing them to also explode the missiles inside, destroying the machine. Sally follows the electrodes' wires with her gaze, and she finds Fiona, who wears a pair of special gloves. In each glove, she has an electromagnetic pulse cannon in the palm, and a taser on the back of the hand, among other electronic weapons.

Fiona and Antoine continue to attack robots from various locations. Antoine shoots almost 150 arrows, with tricks of the most diverse types: with an explosive, with a capsule with acid, with electrodes, and even one that, when nailed to a SWAT-bot that controls the laser cannon of a ship, connects a pendrive to the robot and downloads a computer virus in it. The infected SWAT-bot fires its weapon and destroys another E-100 robot. When only one arrow remains, he reserves it, gets off the roof, enters the battlefield and draws his saber, which is now modified: it now has a filament made of a special alloy, and the current through the filament heats it to the point of making it shine, turning the saber into a weapon capable of breaking in two or crossing a robot.

As for the red vixen, she continues firing her electronic weapons from a distance, keeping robots at bay. In addition to her EM pulse cannons and Taser guns, Fiona uses an electric whip to wipe out any enemy approaching her.

Eggman tries to escape in his Eggmobile, but he meets Tails, who now wears an advanced technology armor that covers various parts of his body, such as his arms and legs, his chest and the top of his back. The parts that the armor doesn't cover, such as the abdomen, the lower part of his back, his two tails and all his joints, are covered with a metallic mesh. The fox carries several weapons: a railgun and a multi-barreled laser machine gun on his back, repulsors cannons on the palms of his hands and on the soles of his feet, y small missile-launchers on his wrists. He also wears glasses, similar to those of a pilot, with red glasses; these glasses are connected to his armor, his weapons and a series of sensors, providing Tails with capabilities such as viewing infrared images, scanning machines, setting targets for weapons, tracing missile trajectories, etcetera.

"Was not this a serious matter, _Doctor_?" Tails says, confident.

"No matter how many guns you have, you mutant with two tails. You're still a frightened child."

Trying to prove his point, Eggman deploys his Eggmobile's missile-launchers and then attacks, but Tails flies and dodges the missiles, and even destroys some with repulsors cannons from his hands. In response, Tails launches his missiles. Eggman, underestimating the miniature missiles of Tails, doesn't avoid them, but these they produce enormous damage to his ship, since each one contained a nuclear warhead. Then the fox takes advantage of the distraction unfolding his railgun, which is now mounted on his right shoulder, and makes a sure shot that severely damages the engines of the Eggmobile, forcing Eggman to land.

When Eggman lands, Antoine fires his last arrow to the control panel of the Eggmobile. The arrow with a hidden trick connects to a USB port on the panel, and then starts to transmit data to the Tails' glasses.

"Well done, Antoine. I already have access to all of Eggman's secrets."

* * *

Somewhere in Robotropolis, four SWAT-bots guard the gateway to a warehouse. The door carries the typical sign indicating that there's nuclear material inside, which must still be handled with extreme caution, even if it doesn't harm any robot with radiation.

Everything seems calm, until a brown fur fox in a military uniform appears in front of them.

"Hey, here I am..." says the fox, in a bored tone.

One of the robots proceeds to capture him, but the fox draws a saber similar to that used by Antoine, and uses it to cut the laser weapon of its arm, first, and the robot itself, later, doing everything in a few seconds. Then he saves his sword and runs off into an alley, pursued by the other three robots. However, robots are also followed by an invisible presence.

The fox reaches the end of the alley and is trapped by the robots, but he stays relaxed and doesn't react.

"Subject identified: Amadeus Prower, former Colonel of the Royal Army of Acorn." A robot identifies him. "Considering he's fifty years old, this vermin is quite skillful."

"Your data is wrong: I'm forty-seven years old."

"It doesn't matter. Surrender."

_"I doubt the Colonel likes the idea."_

"Who's there?" The other robot asks, hearing that ghostly voice that sounded like a woman's. "Surrender."

In response, from a place where there seems to be nothing, a brilliant blue bullet is fired that hits one of the three robots and electrocutes it, frying its circuits.

"Use infrared vision." Orders one of the two remaining robots. When they do, they notice the silhouette of a vixen, who despite being invisible, is releasing his body heat.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Rosemary Prower..." says the vixen. "... and he's my husband." She continues, pointing to where Amadeus was.

When one of the robots turns to see Amadeus, it doesn't find anyone with its infrared vision. "Wait a moment, where did he go?"

"If she try to shoot one of those bullets, kill her." The other robot responds.

The robot that emitted the order changes to its normal vision, but doesn't get to react when Amadeus, with his saber drawn and shining to the red, decapitates it. The other robot, still with infrared vision, sees a newly decapitated robot, and only finds an infrared light line, almost "blinding" for its sensors. The robot barely gets to see how that "heat line" cuts itself from bottom to top in longitudinal form, and the machine finally stops working when the line cuts its head in half.

"Rosemary, you don't stop surprising me with your..."

Rosemary becomes visible. She wears a tight one-piece suit, shoes with heels, and a mask similar to a balaclava. All her clothes have the ability to become invisible. El único ojo de Amadeus mira fijamente a su esposa, mientras su mandíbula se deja caer. She's quite attractive with her thirty-eight years.

"... ability..." Amadeus finishes.

She smiles flirtatiously. "Yes, I know, Amadeus. You told it to me... How many times?"

"I don't know, I don't count the number of times. Maybe... As many times as I told you why I hate those of the Military Circle?"

At that moment, the voice of Tails is heard by the communicator. _"Mom, Dad, could you leave the compliments for later? We're in the middle of a very, very, very important mission."_

"I'm sure you also say compliments to Fiona." Replies Amadeus, mischievously.

_"Yeah, but I'm not that cheesy, and I don't tell her compliments while we're on a mission."_

"Let's talk about the important thing: Did you get the information?" Rosemary asks.

_"Yes, and I was about to send it to you."_

On a laptop, all the information about the Eggman's new super-weapon appears. Apparently, he hadn't planned anything new: the weapon consisted of forty transcontinental nuclear missiles, which were planned to be launched from different silos. The silos were still under construction, so the nuclear missiles were still stored in the warehouse to which the Prowers were to enter.

"Thank you, son." Says Amadeus.

_"Don't thank me, thank Antoine. His aim is incredible. Now I leave you, because you'll need a lot of care and concentration to manipulate the nuclear material."_

"Okay, thank Antoine for us."

When the call is completed, the Prowers enter the password to enter the warehouse.

"What do we do with the missiles, my dear?"

"If it was for me, Amadeus, we blew up the tank. I brought explosives." As a demonstration, Rosemary shows him a bag full of C4 packages.

"What are you saying? Rosemary, if we exploit those forty nuclear warheads, we'll produce a nuclear winter."

"Unless we use the information about the missiles to remove the mechanism that produces the nuclear reaction."

"It's going to take forever to do that."

"No, because we'll get into _that_ checkpoint..." Rosemary says, pointing to a room, overlooking the entire warehouse, where some robots appeared to be using various electronic equipment. "... we'll destroy those two robots, we'll impersonate them, we'll call other robots to order them to come to disarm the missiles, we'll throw them out when they're finished, we'll plant the explosives, we'll go away and we'll blow them up. It's not so difficult."

"Okay, as you say." The couple then sneaks in the direction of the checkpoint.

* * *

At the checkpoint...

"TR47, someone entered here unexpectedly, using the password. Investigate."

"Immediately, BA11." TR47 leaves the room. When it's out of sight of the chief-robot, it's hit by an electric bullet.

BA11 hears a noise at the exit of the checkpoint, but when it looks there, Amadeus cuts it in half without giving it time to respond, then opens its head and extracts something similar to an SD memory, but larger.

"This is the memory of the chief-robot." That said, Amadeus connects the SD memory to the laptop, accessing all the data of the robot. "With this information, I'll pretend to be... What's the name of this? BA11." Then he turns to Rosemary. "I'll also disguise myself as the robot you left fried, given the possibility of someone coming here personally. In the meantime, you'll become invisible again and keep watching."

"Okay." Rosemary says.

When she's about to put on her balaclava and become invisible again, he stops her. "Wait, I want to see you one last time."

"Amadeus, don't be dramatic--" A kiss from Amadeus interrupts his wife, but then she starts kissing him too.

" _My Colonel_... That robot was right: you're very skilled, considering your age of forty-seven." She says, between the kisses.

"You also continue to maintain a youthful beauty, _my Lady_."

"Amadeus, please stop using those nicknames..." Then, Rosemary approaches to speak in his ear to her husband. "When we get out of this mess, I'll have you learn to call me with _less delicate_ nicknames, for example, b--"

"Allright, I get it, my dear. Now, we must concentrate." Then, while Rosemary activates the invisibility of her suit, he empties the interior of TR47 and uses it as a suit, checks the laptop for some of the stolen data, and calls some robots through the living room appliances.

"Here, BA11." Amadeus says, simulating the voice of the robot. "I need extra units to execute an order from Doctor Eggman. I'm talking about nuclear missiles in the warehouse."

 _"Here, FD26. I have no record of this."_ Another robot responds.

"It is a newly issued order. Doctor Eggman gave it to me, and I give it to you."

_"Why do not you use the communicator on your arm or any of the other ones you carry, BA11?"_

"Two mobians have tried to infiltrate here. They destroyed TR47 and damaged some of my systems, but they have been eliminated."

_"Understood. I'll check if Doctor Eggman issued that order."_

"It will not be necessary, FD26." Amadeus reviews his data, until you finally find a series of codes, from which he chooses one in particular. "346TR7GFLI98128."

FD26 remains silent.

_"The password is correct. We await your orders."_

"Come to the warehouse of nuclear missiles. There they will be given instructions."

 _"Received, BA11."_ Communication is interrupted.

"What was that password?" Rosemary asks, still invisible, from somewhere in the room.

"According to this information, each SWAT-bot has a password, and Eggman is the only one who knows everyone's passwords... Well, he _was_ the only one." Amadeus replies, smiling mischievously.

* * *

In the ruins of Megaopolis, the KFFs still fight with the robots of Eggman. It's already dawning, and this can be observed thanks to the fact that the pollution isn't so great as in Robotropolis, and the clouds don't totally cover the city, leaving cracks between them through which sunlight enters. However, those who achieve more advances are those of the team convened by Tails: the two-tailed fox, who now also has his laser machine gun unfolded and carries it on his left shoulder, fights the E-100 robots, while Fiona destroys the SWAT-bots, less strong but still very numerous. While they fight with the hosts of Eggman, Antoine attacks the robots by surprise on several occasions, and in some cases, he traverses them with his saber from behind, ignoring all the matter of the "dishonor" of attacking of that form.

In one of her shots with her EM pulse gun, Fiona disables a wave of robots, but also deactivates the robotic limbs of Bunnie, who was on the firing line. The red vixen, desperate, speaks to Tails by her communicator.

"Miles, my EM pulse hit Bunnie. She's vulnerable. Get her out of here and get her safe."

"I still have to destroy five E-100 robots, but I'm trying to hurry."

"I'll take care of her, _mademoiselle_." Antoine intervenes. "I'll protect Bunnie. Tails, when you're done with the E-100 robots, come and get her out."

Antoine makes his way between the robots and the KFFs. On this occasion, the idea of losing Bunnie already gives him the strength to run faster than usual, which leaves Sonic stunned for a moment when the coyote passes in front of him.

Bunnie has already managed to reactivate her robotic arm herself, and is trying to reactivate her legs, when three SWAT-bots go towards her. She still can't fire the cannon on her arm, and although she could, the robots are too many. Suddenly, Antoine attacks them from behind, cutting the feet of the three machines with a single movement. The robots are destabilized and fall to the ground, and that's when the soldier, full of anger, cut off their heads. The southern cyborg, stunned, just looks at him.

"Are you okay, _ma chérie_?" asks a concerned Antoine.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Thank you for... doing that."

The coyote can't believe what he hears: she's thanking him for saving her. He knows that wouldn't be very important to others, but since no one had ever said such a thing to him in such a sincere way, he's equally astonished. " _De rien_ , Bunnie." He responds, trying not to brag about the way he did it on previous occasions. "Fiona wants to apologize to you for the EM pulse. She's very worried about _vous_."

"Ok, I'll do it later." She answers, concentrating on trying to reactivate her legs.

"Do you need help with that?" Antoine asks.

"No, it's almost... Ready!" Bunnie stands on her two legs at once, although she still can't use the thrusters on the soles of her feet. "Antoine..."

" _Oui_?" The soldier has just cut another SWAT-bot in longitudinal form.

"What you did..." Bunnie starts, a bit embarrassed and avoiding looking at the soldier in her eyes. "It has been very brave of you."

Antoine looks at Bunnie and, unknowingly, starts to blush intensely. He can't see a SWAT-bot approaching him, but the cyborg girl can see it.

"STEP ASIDE!" Bunnie pushes aside a distracted Antoine, and sets out to defend himself. She still can't use the cannon on her arm nor can she fly, but she has an ace up her sleeve.

Bunnie opens a compartment on each robotic leg, and pulls out two small metal sticks. The cyborg girl unites them in a larger stick, and from both sides of this, a long stick of the type used in the martial arts is deployed, with which she proceeds to hit the laser weapon of the robot. Using the lever effect to increase the force of her blow, she accomplishes her goal of disabling the weapon, and then defends herself from the maneuvers that the robot makes to catch her. Finally, Bunnie strikes a blow to the robot's head, abruptly moving the devices inside and causing it to stop working. Then a recovered Antoine takes his sword and kill the SWAT-bot definitely.

" _Merci beaucoup_ , Bunnie. I'm sorry I didn't see that coming."

"All right, Antoine. I was indebted to you."

 _"Antoine, I already finished with the E-100 robots. I'm going there."_  Tails' voice rings over Antoine's communicator.

" _D'accord_ , Tails." The coyote cuts off the communication and goes to the cyborg. "Bunnie, now we'll take you to a safe place. It's not advisable to stay here as long as your powers don't work."

"Okay, Antoine, but I won't be away for long. I can fix my arm and my legs myself. Soon I'll return to the battle."

Another voice is heard by Antoine's communicator. This is Colonel Prower.

_"Fireworks in three... two... one... zero."_

In Robotropolis, when the countdown reaches zero, the warehouse with the nuclear missiles explodes, but without generating any mushroom cloud.

 _"Mission accomplished, comrades."_  Rosemary says through the communicator. _"And with an extra."_

As a demonstration, a number of other buildings also exploded: a factory where the missiles themselves were made, a factory where nuclear materials were refined and nuclear warheads built, etc.

 _"Excellent."_  Tails says, who had managed to see everything from a distance, thanks to the fact that he was flying almost 100 meters high. _"Now, let's kill the remaining robots, and let's go home."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Frenchy: French (derogatory).


	6. Chapter 6: Party, love, discussions and a tip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Difficult times are coming in the sixth chapter of "Origins".

A minute later, all the robots in the place had already been destroyed. Eggman escaped, but his army was hit hard: apart from his losing his nuclear missiles, he also lost the missile factory and the nuclear warhead factory; he had assigned to most of his SWAT-bots, various ships, and all the remaining "walking arsenals" of the E-100 series for that trap, and now all of them had been destroyed; aside, having been transmitted the defeat by television, his pride was also very damaged.

* * *

Meanwhile, the KFFs have already left the ruins of Megaopolis and are coming to Knothole. On the way, none of them had talked much with the Tails' reinforcement team except to congratulate them and to ask them some questions about their new weapons; in fact, Sonic was annoyed all the way and he didn't speak to the two-tailed fox or look at him, and all he did was look at Antoine with jealousy. The only exception was Bunnie, who kept talking to the Tails' team, amazed by their accomplishments; in the conversation, she forgave Fiona for her accident with the EM pulse gun, and was talking a lot with the soldier coyote, who blushed and looked nervous constantly, although this apparently didn't bother Bunnie.

When they arrive at the village, they're welcomed by a crowd, as usual. The Wolf Pack leader, Lupe Wolf, who was passing by Knothole casually, watches the scene from a nearby coffee shop. She and her people had welcomed the team for six months to train and prepare for the mission. She's also remembering everything that happened in that training.

* * *

One day, while Tails went to Knothole to find what was needed to build their weapons, Lupe walked with Antoine through the Great Forest, to train him in control of his fear.

"Antoine, remember what I'm going to say: whenever you're scared, nervous, or about to start a fight, at all times, keep control of yourself."

Antoine seems to be hesitating. "I wouldn't want to offend you, Grand Chief of the Wolf Pack, but I still have some doubts."

Lupe made a small laugh at Antoine's formal language. "Please, just call me Lupe. And there's nothing wrong with doubts. You're still learning."

"Okay, Lupe. Specifically, how could I maintain control over myself?"

"There are ways: to breathe slowly and deeply, inhaling and exhaling through the nose..."

Meanwhile, Antoine was executing what Lupe said.

"Think of something specific, without letting the size or strength of the enemy distract you or overwhelm you, and not to be surprised, to stay alert, without despair or lose patience, avoiding to think too much about the odds of being defeated."

Antoine put all his senses on alert and tried to concentrate, executing the advice of Lupe.

Suddenly, an ear of Antoine turned to one side.

"I heard something." Said the coyote, unsheathing his sword.

"Me too." Replied the female wolf, preparing a shield and a spear.

The two of them watched everything around, but nothing appeared.

Until Antoine felt someone standing right behind him, someone... cold. Then he prepared his sword, putting it under his arm, pointing back.

While the coyote waited, that "someone" grabbed him and covered his mouth with his hands, which wore black gloves. Automatically, the young soldier slid the saber under his arm, prodding his enemy, who made a moan and fell to the ground.

Lupe glanced at him, and realized what had happened. "Well done, Antoine."

However, when she saw that dead body, a memory came to her mind. This guy was dressed in black and hooded, with a badge on his clothes. Lupe recognized him as a follower of the Order of IXIS, which meant that his leaders weren't far away.

Antoine called his attention: "You have to turn your back." Lupe accepted the proposal, and they both gathered their backs, to avoid a surprise attack.

As expected, Antoine and Lupe were attacked by several more subjects, in a similar garment to the one he killed before. The warrior wolf repelled the attacks successfully, and so did her new "apprentice".

Finally, Lupe grabbed by the neck who appeared to be the leader of the IXIS followers. "Why are you here? What are you looking for?" She asked.

The subject's face wasn't yet visible. "You can't stop us, prepare yourselves, Lupe Wolf and Antoine D'Coolette, IXIS will come back, and will dominate everything." Before Lupe could extract any more information, he vanished, leaving a trail of black smoke.

"What was all that? He said something about IXIS." Asked the coyote.

"That's right, Antoine. They're followers of the Order of IXIS, a group of wizards who tried to rule Mobius thousands of years ago."

"I heard about an assistant of King Max. He was a sorcerer called Naugus. He disappeared after the Robotnik's coup d'etat."

"Naugus? This was one of the most powerful magicians of the Order."

Antoine was overwhelmed, and remained silent for a while. "Lupe, he said IXIS was coming back. That means Naugus is still alive, somewhere. If he's as dangerous as you say, and these guys try to bring him back, then stop them as soon as possible."

Antoine suddenly remembered seeing something: the leader of IXIS followers had purple gloves, and his tail, which was the tail of a skunk, could be seen.

"I'm not really sure, but I think I know who that guy was." Said Antoine.

Lupe took her spear and shield. "Let's go back to the Pack. Surely, your friend, the inventor fox, will be back with his stuff. We'll continue training tomorrow, okay?"

" _D'accord_ , _revenons_." While walking towards Lupe, Antoine was about to keep his sword, but found it bloody. "Lupe, do you have something natural that can serve as a replacement for the detergent?"

* * *

Lupe returns with her mind to the present, and smiles to see Antoine's progress, as well as the excellent results obtained by that new group.

Meanwhile, Tails, knowing that Sonic is going to ascribe victory to himself, is ahead of him.

"Thank you, thank you all for the attendance." Says Tails, in a cordial tone. "First of all, I wanna introduce you to the real people responsible for our success: my parents, Amadeus and Rosemary."

Everyone applauds as the Prower family climbs onto an improvised scenario. Tails continues with his speech: "They went deep into Robotropolis and destroyed Eggman's super-weapon. Thanks to them, Mobius is safe again, and Resistance across the planet will continue to stand, fighting to end that dictator."

The crowd is still shouting with happiness. Sonic tries to intervene, but knows that he will be in a bad situation for wanting to ascribe victory to himself and for wanting to steal fame from his best friend.

"Actually..." Amadeus begins. "There were many who were also very important and who made all this possible, for example, Fiona Fox."

With the mention of that name, Sally begins to feel annoyed. She knew nothing about reconciliation and the current courtship between Fiona and Tails, so the red vixen still gives the female chipmunk a bad feeling. In earlier times, before betraying the KFFs, she not only took advantage of Tails's confidence, but also she and Sonic were dating. Now the princess can't bear the sight of Fiona on that scenario, being applauded by the villagers, and she leaves the place without wanting to know anything about the vixen.

"And there's one more person left," Tails begins. "He was the one who got the information necessary for my parents to execute the plan."

 _"Sonic!"_ Someone shouts in the distance.

 _"Sally!"_ Another mobian shouts.

"Neither one nor the other." Said Tails. "I introduce you to Antoine D'Coolette."

Antoine takes the scenario and appears before the people, with their new uniform and weapons. He makes a big smile, and no longer walks with his typical military demeanor, but acts more like a famous singer, but avoiding boasting. " _Bonjour à tous_! You can call me Tony, if you wish." People start to shout the name of that new warrior named "Tony".

In a case similar to Sally, Sonic leaves, unable to bear seeing Antoine there.

"Hey guys, what if we told them what happened to us on the mission?" Proposes Fiona.

His four companions accept her proposal and begin to relate everything that happened. They even make some demonstrations of their weapons and tricks, all invented by Tails: the "electric gloves" of Fiona, the "invisible suit" of Rosemary, a special tincture that absorbs infrared light and was used by Amadeus in his clothes, the modified sabers of Amadeus and Antoine, and the advanced technology armor, used by Tails.

When Antoine tells his story about his attacks using arrows with tricks, he decides to let Tails act as a witness and tell about how Antoine saved Sonic from a surprise attack, given the possibility that the public may not believe the coyote. Sonic still hears everything from his hut, and he's feeling hurt by the way in which, according to him, his friend "takes the side of Antoine" and "ridicules" the hedgehog.

After finishing his story, while Amadeus and Rosemary tell about the infiltration in the nuclear missile warehouse, Antoine retires from the scenario and calls Bunnie for her to follow him. Both arrive at Antoine's hut, with the coyote trembling with nerves.

"Bunnie, could you sit down? I want to talk to you about something important, if that doesn't represent a nuisance for you."

"Okay, you can tell me."

"First of all, do you want to eat or drink something?"

"No thanks. I've eaten already."

Meanwhile, Antoine is preparing coffee. When it's ready, it's used for himself and he takes it to the table. Once he sits down, he keeps looking at Bunnie, not knowing what to say. Bunnie doesn't say anything either, she prefers to wait for the coyote to tell everything, without pressing him.

"I know that during these years I've been an idiot and a coward, and I recognize my faults. I was... well, 'chasing' Princess Sally, when I knew I could never be with her."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Antoine. Sometimes you don't get what you want. You have to let it go, and continue with your life."

"I know. However, sometimes, it also happens that one finds what one wants, but in the least expected place."

"What do you mean?"

Antoine takes a deep breath before continuing to speak. The soldier tries to find the right words. "Bunnie, _vous_ were always a good friend. You endured me despite my mistakes, even when _je_ had a lousy behavior. Now, do you still love me, as a friend?"

"Is this a joke? Of course I want you to be my friend!" Bunnie responds, with some indignation. "I recognize that you have your weaknesses. I also recognize that it's unfair how others treat you. Besides, I don't know if you remember, but you always treated me well, you were grateful, and you were also humble. You're a great friend, honestly."

" _Oui_ , that's... great. The friendship..." says Antoine, regretfully. Then he pauses, looking at the wooden floor of his hut. "Actually... _Je_ wish we could be more than _just friends_."

Bunnie stares at Antoine. "You're telling me that... Is this serious?"

" _Je_ will explain in a better way. _Je_ discovered that Sally wasn't exactly the kind of person _je_ want to be with. _Je_ know _elle_ definitely doesn't love me, not even as a Freedom Fighter. And even if the princess loves me, she doesn't interest me anymore. I've been thinking seriously for the past few months, _et_... _Je_ know _je_ will look like a hypocrite by saying this, and _je_ know this is going to look like a scene taken from a soap opera, _mais_..."

Desperate, Antoine lowers his head and starts pulling his blond hair tightly. Finally, relax and look back at the southern cyborg.

"Antoine?"

"I love you, Bunnie... Just as you heard it, I love you with all my being, literally, in a romantic sense. I realized that you were the only person who always accepted me, and I also realized how beautiful you are, on the outside and also inside. I know that I have many negative aspects, but I swear that I'll correct them, so that I can be a worthy man for _vous_. If I break my oath, you can do whatever you want with me."

The young soldier's statement surprises Bunnie. "Antoine..."

"If you want, you can go to your hut, and think about it quietly. I'll wait for your answer, I won't bother you."

However, Bunnie doesn't leave. On the contrary, she approaches the coyote.

"Antoine..." Bunnie also finds no way to explain to him what she feels. Finally, she gives up. "I have no other way of telling you this. I love you too."

The coyote now has wide eyes. " _V-_ _Vrai-_ _Vraiment_?" He stutters. "Do you really love me?"

"I know, I'm also looking like an actress from a soap opera too, but it's true. In spite of your flaws, I've always liked you. Anyway, now you don't have _too_ serious defects: you found a way to fight in this war, your behavior is much better than before, you no longer boast in front of others... You're the best boyfriend anyone can have, Tony." Bunnie, surprisingly, kisses Antoine. He's shocked at first, but then recovers and returns the kiss, in full frenzy.

A few minutes later, they both go to Antoine's bed, and they begin to remove their clothes hastily, while they continue to kiss. After a few seconds, they stop. Now, Bunnie only wears her underwear, and Antoine is staring at her in astonishment.

"Do you like the view?" Bunnie asks, realizing the way the coyote looked at her.

"Truthfully, I love the view. I hope you're not uncomfortable."

"Don't worry. Watch everything you want."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Asks the new "boyfriend".

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll take the pill when we're done. The only problem is..."

" _Quel_? Tell me, I must know."

Bunnie looks around, and sees her clothes lying on the floor. "We're looking _too much_ like the actors in a soap opera."

They both start laughing. " _Certainement_." Antoine responds in his own laughter.

Surprising Bunnie, the coyote lifts her up and takes her to his bed, and then he climbs on top of her. "I thought this part of your body was robotized." He says, running a hand through the intimate area and the butt of his new girlfriend.

"I asked Rotor to make a camouflage for everything that still is not robotized below the waist- Oh..." Bunnie is interrupted by the touch of the young soldier in her intimate area. "I did it to scare away prying eyes."

"Good choice. Now, how do you want us to do this? Remember that I'm a virgin, so I don't know much about sex."

"Don't worry about that, I'm a virgin too. We'll see what to do."

* * *

At 5:00 PM, Tails, her parents and Fiona are at a party that is being done in their honor. Sally had decided to organize that party, as a gesture of gratitude and goodwill. While they cut the portions of a cake, Antoine's absence catches the attention to the child prodigy.

"Fiona, where's Antoine?" Asks Tails.

"He went to his hut with Bunnie, that's all I know."

In the meantime, someone passes by there: it's Bunnie, who had left the pharmacy with some things she had bought. She has her clothes and her camouflage for her hip and butt, but the hair all over her body is scruffy, and the hair on her head is also very disheveled. Fiona sees her from the table, and heads toward her.

"¡Bunnie! I've not seen you in a long time. What if you and Tony join the party?"

"Huh? Oh, it's you, Fiona. No thanks. We'd love to, but we're busy. Could you give me two pieces of cake for me and Antoine, please?"

"Of course." Fiona goes to the table, returning shortly afterwards with a piece of cake in each hand. "Here you have."

"Thank you. See you later!"

Bunnie goes to Antoine's house, not expecting a response from Fiona. "See you." Says the vixen, knowing that that girl won't hear her.

* * *

Sonic is walking through Knothole. He doesn't want to talk to anyone anymore. It's 5:30 PM, and he's walking near a window of Antoine's house.

Suddenly, the hedgehog listens to a woman moaning and a man snorting and saying phrases in French. Sonic hides first, then peeks a little to see through the window.

Then, he realizes what's happening: Bunnie is naked and leaning against the wall, and Antoine, who was once his "competitor", is behind her, keeping her trapped, and wearing his military uniform wide open; by the way their bodies move, it's obvious that Mercia's soldier coyote and the southern rabbit girl are having sex, and both seem to be enjoying this.

"Ant- Antoine... AAHHH! I love you! Make me prisoner, my fierce soldier..."

" _Si vous voulez_... _Vous serez à moi_... _Je ne vais pas arrêter_... _Je t'aime_ , Bunnie!"

"That's enough. That sissy frenchy won't humiliate me any more. No one is more successful than I am at relationships with girls." Sonic says to himself, moving away from the house.

* * *

At 6:00 PM, Antoine is resting in her bed with Bunnie. The coyote still wears his uniform open, leaving his chest exposed. The rabbit girl is on top of him, her head resting against his chest, as he strokes her hair. The blankets are loose and piled up on the couple. She had gone to buy the morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy (among the mobians, there are different types, but all are compatible and can generate fertile offspring, as if they were part of the same species). Then both had made love several times, using protection. Now they're exhausted.

"How did you feel making love with 'the coward of the team'?" Asks Antoine, in a joke form.

"Don't say that. Even if you're a coward, you didn't do it wrong." Bunnie replies. "How did you feel?"

"It's been the most _extraordinaire_ thing I've ever done in my life."

"You know what? I'm starting to get hungry. Let's eat those pieces of cake once and for all."

"Stay here, I'll bring them."

Antoine rises from the bed and goes to the kitchen, returning then with two small plates, each with a teaspoon and a piece of cake.

* * *

At 10:00 PM, the party had already ended and many villagers were sleeping. However, in one of the huts, some residents remain very awake.

Sally: "Why did not you tell me about your plans before the mission?!"

Tails: "We thought strategically, and we thought this was the best option for everyone."

Sally: "So you thought this was the best option, huh?"

Fiona: "Be careful what you're gonna say, Sally. You're facing one of the most intelligent people on the planet."

Sonic: "Fiona, stop defending him. He's a traitor."

Fiona: "And what's your concept of a traitor?"

Tails: "Wait a minute. HOW YOU CALLED ME, BLUE SELFISH IDIOT?!"

Sonic: [He stares at Tails, surprised] "..."

Amadeus: "You'd better retract your words and apologize to my son, Sonic, or else-"

Sonic: "What will happen? Will your stepson Antoine kill me with his toy arrows?"

Amadeus: "Tony isn't my stepson."

Tails: "Anyway, he would be a better stepbrother than you, Sonic."

Sonic: [Disturbed] "Are you serious, Tails? Do you think there's any area where that faggot is better than me?"

Tails: "You don't have the right to call him that."

Antoine: [He enters the cabin, in his classic military uniform and his typical military bearing] "All right, Tails, don't bother yourself. It's music to my ears to hear Sonic despairing and insulting me when I'm better than him at something."

Bunnie: [She enters with the leotard she usually dresses, accompanying Antoine] "Sonic, the problem isn't Antoine, it's you. Now Antoine is much more gentleman, although, in a certain way, he already was like that from before."

Sonic: "Bunnie, stop defending your boyfriend."

Bunnie: [Angry] "He's not my boyfriend. And you have no right to tell me who I should defend and who I should not."

Sonic: [Watching mischievously] "So he's not your boyfriend, huh..."

Antoine and Bunnie: [In unison] "No!" [They look at each other].

Sonic: "Okay, if you say so..."

Fiona: "Folks, can we get back to the business that really matters to us?"

Rosemary: "You're right. Sally, stop making drama for this. The plan worked well."

Tails: "Also, you're being a hypocrite: Sonic doesn't follow your plans, he does things without any planning on his part, he's successful, and you don't even give a minimum warning; however, when we make a well-crafted plan and that plan succeeds, you start yelling at us like you're crazy."

Sally: "What did you say, Tails? I took care of you since I met you, I always respected you for your intelligence. Why are you doing this to me?"

Tails: " _Auntie Sally_ , you're forgetting that I'm not only intellectually intelligent, I'm also analyzing the situation. I'm not just an "unadapted nerd". I realize that you're not exactly the best leader, especially in terms of maturity."

Sonic: "Hey, what's up, lil bro? Trying to act like a rebel?"

Tails: "I'm just saying what I think. Oh, and another thing: Could you stop calling me 'little brother' for once?"

Sally: "You don't know what you're talking about, Tails."

Tails: "You're the one who doesn't know what you're talking about. Do you think that a 'mature' leader would leave one of its subordinates isolated [He points to Antoine], just because he doesn't like him/her or because he doesn't meet certain expectations?"

Amadeus: I understand this isn't the Royal Army of Acorn, but the Freedom Fighters, and I recognize that you have a different form of organization. Anyway, the abandonment of a team member, letting God decide its fate, is wrong. And it's even worse if that excluded member is tricked into believing that he still plays a role in the team. What role do you want to entrust to him/her? The role of 'buffoon'? The role of 'ballast'? I thought that in Freedom Fighters there are no ranks like in the Army, everyone is in a situation of equality. Are there certain members to whom this rule isn't applied?"

Sally: (She tries to choose her words.) "Colonel..."

Sonic: "Yes. [Pause] Everything you say is true. Although we try to be 'egalitarian', there are some who can make great contributions to the fight against Eggman, and there are others who can _not_ make those great contributions. What we do is to organize our team, based on that reality. You two, useless old men, couldn't do anything different to solve it."

Tails: [In a low voice, trembling with anger and clenching his fists.] "Sonic, those 'useless old men' are my parents."

Antoine: "And they're also my mentors."

Rosemary: "It's obvious you're a stupid hedgehog. You're contradicting a basic rule of your own team."

Sonic: "That rule doesn't exist. I don't know where you got it from."

Antoine: " _Donc_ , since you're the one who makes the biggest contributions, _vous_ could defeat the Eggman Empire without help. _C'est certain_?"

Sonic: "Is it a challenge?"

Antoine: "If _vous_ consider this a challenge..."

Sonic: [pause] "And what if you go to Robotropolis, alone, to defeat Eggman?"

Antoine: "I have nothing to prove _._ I admit it: I'm not the best on the planet, I have many faults, I need to be part of a team to achieve something. The presumed one who believes that he can achieve anything without help is you. _Par conséquent_ , it's you who must prove that you're right."

Sonic: [pause] "You're a coward."

Antoine: "That's another fault I have, and I recognize it. However, you also have your own shortcomings. I'm no better than you, but you're not better than I am. Your problem is that you don't recognize your faults."

Sonic: [He gets up from his chair suddenly] "Alright! I accept your challenge. I'll go to Robotropolis alone, and I'll defeat Eggman." [He runs off with his super-speed].

Sally: [Furious] "Antoine, What did you just do? I confirm what I told you six months ago: you're an asshole."

Antoine [With a bored tone in his voice] "Tell me something _je_ don't know."

Sally: "Do you want to hear something that you don't know? Well, here's something new: you're fired."

Bunnie, Tails, Fiona, Amadeus y Rosemary: [In unison] "WHAT?!"

Antoine: [In calm] " _Merci beaucoup_ , _Your Royal Highness_. It's good to know that I'll no longer be the buffoon of this team, if this group of immatures can be called 'team'." [He leaves the hut]

Bunnie: "If Tony leaves, I will too." [She leaves the hut]

Sally: "What? Bunnie, wait..."

Tails: "Sorry, _Auntie Sally_ , but I'll have to leave this team myself. What do you think, Fiona?"

Fiona: "I'll go with you."

Tails: "Dad? Mom?"

Amadeus: "I'm sorry to do this, princess, but if this team doesn't share my ideas about equality, I'll have to leave too."

Rosemary: "I agree."

Sally: [She stares impotently] "Fiona, you can leave if you want, I don't care. But others have to stay, you're very important to us."

Tails: "Sally, you don't inspire much confidence as a leader, I must admit it."

Sally: "But where are you going to go?"

Fiona: "Don't worry. We, the Alternative Freedom Fighters, will continue to provide our services to the Resistance against Eggman. With our success obtained last night, I'm sure Lupe Wolf or even the President of Station Square will be happy to hire us. "[Tails, her parents and Fiona begin to leave the hut]

Sally: "You're traitors. You were already planning to separate."

Rosemary: "We're not traitors. As Fiona has clearly said, we'll continue to fight against Eggman. Do you, the KFFs, now compete with other Resistance groups? Because if so, that would be an evidence of how immature you and the KFFs are."

When she's alone, Sally sits down, rests her head on the table, tucking her into her arms, and begins to cry in silence.

"These 'Alternative Freedom Fighters' would be a very good addition to the Wolf Pack, but I would still prefer that they stay on your team."

That's the voice of Lupe Wolf, who is at one of the hut's doors. The female wolf was already a friend of Sally and Sonic since the encounter between the Wolf Pack and the KFFs, shortly before the fall of the original Robotnik. Now she's almost forty years old and has a great experience as a leader of the Wolf Pack, besides she's still in good physical shape.

Lupe approaches Sally slowly, and sits next to her.

"It's over." Says the princess, her head still hidden in her arms. "The Knothole Freedom Fighters, the most representative team of the Resistance, which had fought the Robotnik Empire from the beginning and defeated it, which then started the war against the Eggman Empire, no longer exists. I just failed as their leader. Now, Sonic went on a suicide mission, and the members who contribute the most to the team are gone too."

"Sally, we're no longer in the time when Robotnik ruled the entire Mobius, when leaving a team meant a certain death. Now, Mobius is a safer planet, and even if your team ceases to exist, there are still several Resistance movements that will continue your legacy. Also, we're not in the era prior to Robotnik's coup d'etat, when every nation was closed on itself in all aspects. Anyway, it's not too late to be a better leader. You're only fifteen years old, it's reasonable for someone to have problems if you don't have experience."

"What happens is that, when I took over as a leader, there was no one else available." Says Sally. "I should have seen all this coming. It was obvious that, sooner or later, Tails would start to use his intelligence and think on his own, and that Antoine was getting fed up with the mistreatment we were giving him. Instead, I was carried away by the fact that Tails was still only a child, and I also got used to the idea that Antoine was useless."

"That's what I mean with the problems you would have if you tried to lead a team at your age."

"I got carried away by my feelings, and a good leader should never do, you know it better than I do." Sally raises her head and looks at Lupe. "Do you think I should give my leadership role to someone else?"

Lupe ponders the situation for a moment. "Considering what's expected of someone as young as you, you were a very good leader, and now I can say that you've learned the lesson. You can still be a better leader."

"And how can I rebuild the team? How do I bring back those who left?"

"I'll give you a tip: being a leader isn't the same as being a king. You're the leader because the people love you; if the people didn't love you, even if you tried to control them by force, they would overthrow you. When making a decision, you have to let the people participate. You shouldn't concentrate all the power of decision on yourself. I know that from time to time I seem terrifying, but my people still love me and don't try to overthrow me, because I listen to them and take their wishes into account." Lupe tells Sally. "Colonel Prower was right: the Freedom Fighters are not the same as an army, nor are they organized the same."

Suddenly, Sally stops crying and smiles broadly. "Lupe, you're a genius." That said, she leaves the hut, without waiting for Lupe's response.

"Am I really a genius? I didn't say anything extraordinary." Lupe says to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: In the discussion scene, I have decided to write in the format of a theatrical script, because of the number of characters involved.


	7. Chapter 7: Paradoxical mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seventh chapter of "Origins". There will be an exchange of roles.

_"You're calling the office of the President of the United Federation. What can we do for you?"_ "I want you to contact me directly with the President. Tell him that it's Antoine D'Coolette, a Knothole Freedom Fighter."

_"One moment, Mr. D'Coolette."_

Antoine is in his hut, preparing his things to leave and waiting for the President to answer the phone.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"If you're Bunnie, come in." Antoine shouts.

Bunnie enters the house, also with a bag full of her things. "I'm going with you." She tells him.

"Are you sure, _mon amour_?"

"I don't think working elsewhere is such a bad experience."

"Ok, I'm trying to talk to the President of the United Federation. I'm going to ask him to give us some job at GUN for the two of us."

"I think you should talk to the President of Station Square. He's our friend."

"He has left his post and assumed as ruler of the entire Federation. That's why I call directly to the central government, in Central City, the capital."

"Antoine, I think, when the President looks after you, you'll have to ask him for more than two jobs." Says Tails, appearing next to Bunnie.

"Tails... Are you going too? _Je_ thought _vous_ were friends with Sonic and Sally." Says the coyote, surprised by the fox's decision.

"Yes, but I don't agree with what she does, and Sonic no longer deserves my respect. In addition, he will surely be able to arrange them by himself. And if in fact he can't do it and realizes that, then he will return to Knothole."

Having said that, Tails lets in his parents and Fiona. "We come with Tails." Says Fiona.

"Okay, now there's six of us, and the President won't like us asking for six worthy jobs in GUN, waking him up at 3:00 AM, Central City Time." Antoine says to himself.

 _"Antoine, are you there? It's me, João Falcão. Do you need anything?"_ The President's voice rings on the phone, with a certain accent.

"Ah, good night, _monsieur_ President. Sorry to bother you at this time. Do you remember us, the Knothole Freedom Fighters?"

_"Okay, it's no trouble. And yes, I remember the Freedom Fighters. You avoided the destruction of Station Square. If you're calling me on the subject of our alliance with the Kingdom of Acorn, I must tell you that we're planning everything to be able to act properly against Dr. Eggman."_

"I don't call for that, _monsieur_. Me and some more wanted to ask for work in GUN."

_"Why? I thought you were good as members of that team."_

"We had some differences of opinion. Do you think you could get us jobs there? We prefer that, if possible, these jobs are not in offices."

_"I'll see what I can do. I'll tell Abraham Tower, the Chief of GUN, to take care of this."_

" _Merci_ , _monsieur_." Says Antoine, and immediately afterwards, the President leaves him on hold.

A few seconds later, someone's talking on the phone. _"I'm Commander Abraham Tower, Chief of the Guardian Units of the Nations. The President has told me that you, Antoine D'Coolette, want to work for us."_

" _C'est certain_ , _monsieur le commandant_. It's me and a few others: Bunnie Rabbot, Miles Prower, Colonel Amadeus Prower, Rosemary Prower, and Fiona Fox."

_"Do the Prowers want to join us? I heard that little Prower is a true genius. Also, in the Great War, I've fought against Amadeus, and he's really a formidable person, an opponent worthy of respect."_

" _Oui_ , _monsieur_. And Miles Prower also fights very well." Antoine pauses. "Commander, is this phone line safe?"

_"Yes. Why do you ask that?"_

"Do you remember that television broadcast made by Eggman?"

_"Yes, I've seen that group make him look ridiculous. What happens to them? Do they also want to join GUN?"_

"That group is us."

_"Really?"_

" _Oui_ , Commander. I was the one who shot the explosive arrows, and Fiona Fox was the one who generated the electromagnetic pulses. Miles Prower was handling the armor of advanced technology, and he also invented the weapons that I and Fiona had used. As for the Prower marriage, they infiltrated Robotropolis and destroyed forty transcontinental nuclear missiles that Eggman planned to use to destroy any resistance, including the KFFs, the Acorn Kingdom, the United Federation, and GUN. In basic terms, we've saved the world."

_"And that "Bunnie Rabbot" you mentioned?"_

"She's our most recent addition to the team. She can lift very heavy things and fly, and carries a plasma cannon with her."

_"You sound like amateurs, even more so than the Freedom Fighters."_

"I assure you, _Abraham_ , that we're not mere amateurs. We have among us a scientific genius like Miles Prower and a military genius like Colonel Amadeus Prower. That's sufficient proof of our professionalism."

Tower remains silent. _"Okay. You can come here whenever you want. We will be waiting for you here, in the United Federation."_

"We're going to solve some of our own issues that we still have to resolve. When we've everything resolved here, we'll call you and we'll arrange an encounter with you. _Au revoir_." Antoine finishes the call, and addresses his fellow AFFs (Alternative Freedom Fighters). "I talked to the Chief of GUN, Commander Abraham Tower. He can give us decent jobs there."

"Abraham Tower ..." says Amadeus. "I remember that he was an Overlander war hero. An encounter with him, a decade after the Great War, would be interesting."

"Two powers greet each other." Adds Rosemary. "Mobians and Overlanders, working together."

"Mom, we've actually worked with GUN before, and they're not exactly Overlanders." Responds Tails. "It's complicated, I'll explain it later."

" _Alors_ , what do you think? Do we join GUN?" The coyote asks his five companions.

"Antoine! Please! Wait!" From a distance, Sally's voice is heard.

"Speaking of Rome... Welcome, oh, magnanimous princess whom I don't care." Says Fiona.

"Please, don't leave the team." Sally tells them when she reaches them. "We really need you, we need you six. I need you to find Sonic and bring him back to Knothole. If you do and remain members of the KFFs, I swear I'll be a better leader. What happened to Antoine in these ten years won't happen again with anyone ever again. And I'll control Sonic, I won't let myself be influenced by him."

The AFFs are silent for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Rotor rushes toward them, visibly worried.

"Sally, Eggman has just broadcast a message on TV. He has captured Sonic." Rotor tells the princess in a low voice, so as not to panic in the village.

The seven assembled mobians leave Antoine's house, in the direction of Rotor.

* * *

Sally, Rotor and the AFFs watch an old TV in Rotor's workshop. In it, Sonic is seen in a state of suspended animation, contained within a tube whose ends are attached to the ceiling and floor of a room. The room is dimly lit with a red light, and there's also a robotizer ready to work. The hedgehog seems to have badly injured his legs, which could mean that he wouldn't be able to use his super-speed, although he managed to escape the tube. While Sonic is being shown in that state, Eggman makes his usual speech about "having accomplished something so great and that he had never believed it would be so easy".

"I've already made sure this video doesn't leak." Says the walrus. "Except for us eight and Eggman, no one else knows about this on Mobius."

"Well done, Rotor." Sally answers without looking at him, still shocked by the capture of Sonic by the dictator.

"Teammates, I want to talk to you five in private." Tails tells the AFFs, as he leaves the workshop. Fulfilling his request, his five companions follow him.

Once outside, the fox addresses them. "Teammates, I think we should rescue him."

"Clearly we must." Says Antoine. "Sonic won't be able to get out of there on his own."

"Besides, we can show him that he was wrong." Adds Tails. "We'll have rescued him using our skills and teamwork. He will learn the lesson."

"What do we do about our permanence as members of the KFFs?" Bunnie asks.

"We'll solve it later." Amadeus answers. "Now, we have to tell Sally that the six of us will go to rescue Sonic, that we'll need to have access to all available resources, and that they should let us act without anyone interfering."

"And there's another detail, _monsieur_ Colonel: we must show the princess that we don't do this with the aim of humiliating Sonic publicly, so we'll agree to keep the whole thing a secret."

"It's okay. Are we all in agreement?"

"Agree." Say the other members of the new team.

* * *

In the workshop, the AFFs enter and address Sally. "Princess Sally, let's rescue Sonic." Antoine tells him. "But, first of all, we would like to be able to clarify some important points."

"I'm hearing." Sally replies.

Antoine starts to speak: "Although we managed to rescue Sonic, we can't guarantee you that the six of us will be members of the KFFs again. As for this mission itself, we'll need to have all of Knothole's resources at our disposal. And last but not least, we don't want interference, either during planning or during the mission itself. On the other hand, regarding what we'll do when our mission is finished, we'll keep everything in the most absolute secret, and by that I mean both the mission itself and the capture of Sonic. In this opportunity, we're not interested in obtaining the glory nor in humiliating Sonic in front of the public. Do you accept our terms?"

"Yes, I accept your terms." Says the chipmunk, after thinking about what the coyote told him. "Now, could you do what you should do?"

" _Bien sûr_ , _votre altesse royale_. We're people who keep their word."

With the conversation over, the AFFs leave Rotor's workshop, and head to the Tails' workshop to prepare everything they'll need.

Meanwhile, Sally and Rotor accompany them, and they stare at them and think.

"This is paradoxical, Rotor." She tells the mechanic. "Now, Sonic is in trouble and Antoine will save him. I don't know what to think."

" _Votre altesse_ , it's worth mentioning that I'll not rescue Sonic, but _we_ 'll rescue him as a team. There's a difference." Antoine replies, watching Tails.

The child prodigy is making the arrows with tricks that the coyote is going to use, while Bunnie is in charge of melting the metal to make the filaments that they're going to insert into the sabers of the young soldier and Amadeus. At the same time, the Colonel puts on his suit, impregnated with special tincture not to be detected by infrared sensors, and his wife Rosemary tests his invisibility suit. Fiona is the only one absent in the Tails' workshop, since she went to an open space, outside the Great Forest, to test her electric weapons without the sparks igniting any tree.

After making the 150 arrows with tricks of Antoine, Tails retires to a room of the workshop, closing the locked door from the inside. In that room, which is completely insulated and covered with metal plates that could perfectly serve as mirrors, the fox has kept his ATA (Advanced Technology Armor) suit, which he had used in the first mission with the AFFs, and also keeps ammunition for his weapons: miniature nuclear missiles, bullets and batteries to supply the railgun with ammunition and power to operate, batteries whose energy is used as ammunition of the laser machine gun; there are also several "quantum reactors" invented by him to provide energy to the ATA suit, which requires quite high amounts of energy.

"Activating ATA via Voice Command."

 _"ATA activated via Voice Command: Welcome back, Miles "Tails" Prower."_ A sensuous female computer voice responds from the inside of the suit.

"Check the general conditions of the suit."

_"All weapons are charged. The quantum reactor has been replaced and is 100% charged. The armor is still in excellent conditions. The antivirus is working in perfect conditions."_

Tails opens a small hatch in the right forearm of the ATA suit, discovering a USB port, and connects to it a pendrive. "ATA, download the " _Control Turbo_ " Program from the USB memory that I just connected."

After a couple of minutes, the computer voice reacts. _"Download complete."_

* * *

Eggman is sitting on his throne, inside his fortress in Robotropolis, looking at a screen. Through it, Sonic is seen, in stasis inside a tube.

"I lose my nuclear missiles, most of my robotic troops and also my prestige, but managed to capture the famous 'Hero of Mobius'. It was a good exchange, don't you think so, Snively?"

"There's no room for doubt, Sir." The second in command of the dictator responds, then going to a control panel. He reads a message on a screen, and then turns to the robotic version of his uncle. "Some SWAT-bots have disappeared in different parts of the city. Do I send robots to investigate?"

"Do it, but don't send too many. You have to relax." Says Eggman. "Snively, summon a summit with the Grand Masters of _my_ Dark Legion."

In response to his orders, Snively sends a message to the SWAT-bots to investigate, and then makes calls to the Dark Egg Legion's Grand Masters: the leader of the original Dark Legion of Echidnas, the old Dimitri, with his body almost totally converted into a robot, and Lien-Da, his great-great-granddaughter and second in command, also with a few cybernetic improvements; Bill Platypus, of Downunda; Drago Wolf and the felidae Razorklaw, of Soumerca; Akhlut, the killer whale, of North Tundra; Baron Beauregard, a cyborg rabbit very similar to Bunnie Rabbot, and commissioned to control the Northamer Great Desert; the overlander Regina Ferrum and the ox Jun Kun, Queen and King of the Iron Dominion in the Dragon Kingdom; the High Sheriff of Snottingham, a robotized aged coyote who has a certain similarity with Antoine D'Coolette, and is in charge of Mercia's control; Diesel, a motorcycle bear who had linked the Bear Pack and the Nasty Hyenas in a single group to the service of Eggman in Efrika; Hugo Brass, the former Chief of GUN, now with the brain washed, responsible for the control of Eurish; an obese nerb with a claw crane replacing his left arm, who calls himself "the Foreman" and controls the Nerb People and the monstrous Kraken, both being inhabitants of the underground world... The leaders of the ten factions of the DEL (Dark Egg Legion) are presented inside the command booth, in the form of holograms.

Within the race of mobian echidnas, the Dark Legion was a faction of them. They favored the use of technology and their members had cybernetic improvements in their bodies, unlike the rest of the equidna race and its leaders, who had banned the use of technology. After an incident where they fought against Enerjak, an echidna god, they lost their cybernetics and the power they used to have, and had to ally with the Eggman Empire to retrieve all that. This resulted in the Dark Legionaries merging with Eggman's Armed Forces and forming the DEL. In this sort of "elite corps" within the Empire, cybernetic improvements were also given to many members, including some who weren't even of the echidna race; the great majority of the members adopted the black tunics with hood, previously used by the original Dark Legionaries, and the Sub-Bosses of Eggman's Armed Forces took the titles of "Grand Masters" from the leaders of the original Dark Legion, calling themselves "Grand Masters of DEL."

"Grand Masters of my Dark Legion, I summon you to this meeting to make you the greatest announcement in the history of this Empire: I've captured Sonic a few hours ago." The Doctor tells his subordinates. They start to look at one another; like their dictator, they also have, in their own command centers, the other Sub-Bosses present in the form of holograms, which allows them to relate as if all were present in the same room.

"Doctor..." starts Regina Ferrum, the Iron Queen. "Remember there are many groups of Freedom Fighters, and although the Knothole group has its morale reduced, I doubt the other groups will do the same. Snively, you know what I'm talking about." She says, addressing the original Robotnik's nephew with a seductive look, a look that Snively seems to recognize.

"In addition, the United Federation is about to formalize its alliance with the Kingdom of Acorn." Hugo Brass completes.

"There is also the matter of the young guardian of Angel Island, that one 'Knuckles'. He is tremendously dangerous with his control of the Chaos Force, and he may be even more powerful than his predecessors of the Brotherhood of Guardians." Adds Dimitri. "He is accompanied by a team called 'Chaotix', which is supposed to be a group of detectives."

Lien-Da advances and stands next to her great-great-grandfather. "In addition, my sister, Julie-Su, is in love with him and follows him in his fight against us."

"It shouldn't be forgotten that the Shadow Project fell into the hands of GUN, as well as the most powerful unit in the E-100 robot series." Adds Hugo Brass.

After a pause, the Iron Queen speaks again. "The only good thing about all this is the fact that I finally gained full control over the Four Clans of the Dragon Kingdom."

"Congratulations, Regina." Says Snively after the announcement.

"Yeah, that's _so_ interesting..." Diesel says, bored.

"Shut up, motorcyclist." Orders Platypus.

"No one tells me what to do."

"Yes, that was evident when Robotnik died."

"What are you blaming me for? The nerd boss also ignored the Doctor's leadership."

"The name is 'Nerb', idiot." Responds the Foreman.

"Shut your ass, _nerd_." Diesel answers.

"My anus can't speak. Does yours have that capacity, inferior being?"

"Can you all shut up at once?! Horde of incompetents!" The High Sheriff shouts, making everyone quiet. "We should take advantage of this moment to counterattack our enemies, not to fight between us."

"Personally, I agree with the High Sheriff, and also with Regina." Says Snively.

"Nobody asked for your opinion." Eggman replies, while Snively looks at him in disguised anger.

"Wait, Doctor, I'd like to hear the opinion of someone like him." Says the Iron Queen.

"Thank you, Regina." Snively replies with pride. "I think we've to lower their morale in a more effective way. We should torture Sonic, then robotize him and put him to the service of the Empire, and all this should be televised live. Oh, and there's another matter." Says the dictator's assistant dwarf, now addressing Diesel. "Starting fights with other factions, like the Nerb Kingdom and Downunda, isn't the only thing you should stop doing. Nor should you underestimate the beings you call 'nerd'. Miles Prower is a nerd, and the last time we underestimated him, he organized a surprise attack and destroyed all our nuclear arsenal, which we could have used to destroy all our enemies right now."

"Not to mention that little plague also destroyed almost all my robots, ruined my Eggmobile and humiliated me in front of the whole planet through that trap." Adds Eggman.

"So how do you want us to proceed now, Doctor?" Asks the Baron, with a notorious southern accent.

"First thing's first: Let's make a visit to 'Sonic the Prisoner'."

* * *

Bunnie, Antoine, Fiona and Tails are hidden on the roof of a building near Eggman's fortress. Meanwhile, Rosemary and Amadeus join them, with Rosemary invisible.

Rosemary is the first to speak, as she becomes visible again. "We've wiped out several SWAT-bots at different Robotropolis sites."

"That way, the other SWAT-bots will be distracted while investigating their 'disappearances'. They'll leave this building unprotected, and we'll be able to enter and rescue Sonic." Adds Amadeus.

"Luckily, this is going to end soon." Says Antoine. "I still have the feeling that I'll regret having rescued that hedgehog."

Everyone is wearing their specially made clothes to work as the AFFs: Antoine, his hair a little disheveled, his purple vest with red details, and his matching pants and glasses; Amadeus, in his special uniform, impregnated with the invisible dye for heat sensors; Rosemary, with her dress invisible to normal sight; Fiona, with her "electro-gloves", a black suit with some breaks and full of circuits and blue lights, blue glasses of the style of the aviator glasses, and a purple red cloak with several thin, bright blue lines running through it. As for Tails, he wears his ATA suit, which now has several parts painted red.

"I just listened to Eggman's conversations with the Grand Masters of the Dark Egg Legion." Reports the two-tailed fox. "They plan to do something big, taking advantage of Sonic being a prisoner. But before they're going to torture and robotize him, showing everything on television. We must hurry to the rescue."

"Okay, I already have a plan done... I guess." Fiona starts. "As we make the rescue, Tails will watch from the air, and Amadeus and Rosemary will guard the entrance. I'll go in first, and I'll use my electric weapons to kill any robot that gets in the way. When everything is safe inside the building, Bunnie and Antoine will enter there, find Sonic, release him, and return. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a good plan." Bunnie thinks.

"There are cameras watching in there. I'm going to send a signal to infect them with a virus, and so I can make them show a still image to Eggman, as a distraction during the time required for the rescue." Tails reports.

Immediately after this, Tails rises into the air in his ATA suit, and his teammates sneak down to the surface.

* * *

In a tube inside the building, the blue hedgehog stays in stasis, guarded by three SWAT-bots. Meanwhile, the door suddenly opens, showing Fiona, Bunnie and Antoine. Simultaneously, the young vixen shoots a robot with a sort of lightning, the cyborg rabbit shoots with the cannon of her robotic arm to another robot and destroys it completely, and the coyote shoots towards the head of the third robot and passes through it with an arrow, which has its tip heated red hot and allows the young soldier to use it again.

Antoine approaches the control panel and presses some buttons, getting Sonic out of the tube and recovering from his stasis. Now Sonic is lying on the ground, and when he manages to raise his head, he sees Antoine looking at him patiently.

"Give me one good reason why _je_ don't regret having rescued _vous_." Says the coyote.

"Hmm... Know! I'm the Mobius's fastest thing alive, I'm indispensable for all the teams of Freedom Fighters in all Mobius, and a long etcetera." Responds the sprinter.

" _Bon_ , I wouldn't mind listening to that ' _long etcetera_ ' of which _vous_ presume so much."

Sonic tries to say something, but finds that he's unable to say anything in his own defense.

"It's already a fact: officially, I regret having rescued you." The coyote dictates.

"Wait a minute." Says Sonic, quickly. "On one occasion, I rescued you in very similar circumstances, and since then you have owed me. Now, with this rescue, we're even."

"We _were_ even. After you rescued me, you took the opportunity to humiliate me."

"Actually, it was you who started bragging about something you didn't do."

" _C'est certain_ , but then you started to boast of having done more things than you actually did. And you didn't recognize that I was trying to overcome my fears and to do something that could make us win. You didn't bother to accept that I had made an effort, even though my effort had been a failure. You didn't want to accept that I was trying to be better. And since you ignored my effort and everyone listened to you only, then everyone forgot me and nobody gave me even a few words of encouragement. Tails and his parents were right when they spoke at the meeting we did a few hours ago at Knothole. Now, if you really believe that I don't deserve the same treatment as the other Freedom Fighters, then I'd rather you kick me out of the team, than keep me in that strange middle category where I'm still a member of the team but I don't get the same good treatment that other members receive." Antoine, still calm, pauses. "Although, now that I remember, the princess has already done it: I was fired directly by her. Don't get angry with her, this is better for you, because I'm not planning to return to the team, at least for the moment."

"Antoine, don't forget what we did for you." Says Fiona.

"That was going to tell him, Fiona. Sonic, it happened that she, Bunnie, Tails and his parents had decided to leave the team and accompany me." Says Antoine, who still uses a relaxed tone.

 _"Friends, SWAT-bots are coming here."_ Warns Tails, who watches from the air and communicates with his colleagues through his communicator. _"You'd better go out, to avoid trouble."_

"Okay, let's get out of here. Sonic, put this in one ear." The coyote tells the hedgehog, giving him a communicator. "We've noticed that your legs were injured. Can you stand and walk?"

"Yes, I can still do it."

"And run?"

"Not as fast as I'd like."

"Tails, have you heard?" Asks Antoine, through his communicator.

_"I've heard it, Antoine, but that doesn't worry me, we can solve this without Sonic's super-speed."_

" _D'accord_. _Allons-y_!" Says Antoine, making a gesture as if he were saying "come with me".

As they move down the corridors, Antoine retakes his story. "As I was telling you, Sonic, this group of friends decided to separate from the KFFs and accompany me. So the princess decided to be smart and summoned us to convince you to go back to Knothole. Faced with this proposal, we six established certain conditions to work, and she accepted them. While we negotiated that agreement, we learned that you were captured."

"And what did you guys agree with Sally?"

"We didn't ask for much. _Premier_ : even if we succeed at the end of the mission, that doesn't necessarily mean that we return to the team. _Deuxième_ : both in preparing the mission and in executing it, we've requested access to all the resources of the village. _Troisième_ : both in preparing the mission and in executing it, we've asked that only six of us work, and no one else should be involved. _Quatrième_ : both your capture and your rescue will be kept secret, since we don't want to have fame on this occasion. _Que pensez-vous_?"

"It sounds fair."

"All that was planned by Antoine. Well, Amadeus has also helped." Adds Bunnie. "When it comes to diplomacy, they're both great."

"Do you admire him for that, Bunnie?" Sonic asks.

"Well, yes, I admire him for that. Why you ask?"

"Because I believe that what you feel for him is more than just admiration."

"Sonic, Bunnie already told you: I'm not her boyfriend." Antoine answers.

"That's not true." Says Sonic. "I saw you two together, doing something... pretty... hot. It was this very afternoon today, about 6:00 PM, at Antoine's house."

"HAVE YOU BEEN SPYING US?!" Scream Antoine and Bunnie, enraged, as Fiona facepalms.

"Calm down. At that moment, I thought of retaliating against you, Antoine, for daring to believe that you were better than me in terms of relationships with girls. However, now I've thought better, and I decided not to." Sonic answers.

 _"Teammates, stop arguing about marital issues, Eggman has arrived at the gates of the building, accompanied by Snively, some robots with TV cameras, and a group of SWAT-bots."_ Tails warns.

" _Amadeus will hide near the door, Tails will remain in the air, and I'll make myself invisible and I'll enter with Eggman and his entourage."_ says Rosemary. _"You four, those who remain inside, return to the room where Sonic was locked up, and hide well. Let's surprise the good Doctor."_

* * *

Eggman arrives at the entrance of the building, and opens the door using a password. When the dictator and his entourage enter, an invisible presence enters with them, without them noticing.

"This time no one is going to stop me, I'll show the whole planet my great victory. Everyone, helpless, will see the slow fall of the Hero of Mobius." Says the Doctor.

He opens the door of a room, hoping to find the sprinter hedgehog in stasis inside a tube, but all he sees is an empty tube.

"What is this all supposed to be?" Eggman and his entourage continue to advance, until they're all inside the room. When that happens, a group of four mobians sneak toward the door, and when they arrive, one of them, a red vixen, points toward the robots with her electric weapons.

"Trying to do a reality-show on TV again?" She says.

Eggman, Snively, the SWAT-bots and the robots with the television cameras look towards the door, and find Fiona, Bunnie and Antoine; the first two are disguised, and all three have their respective weapons ready to fire; Eggman and his entourage also see Sonic, free and standing. Before Eggman's forces react, the AFFs attack: Fiona loads the cannons from the palms of her hands and fires an EM pulse, deactivating all robots except Eggman, and damaging the robotizer in that room; Bunnie fires her cannon at Snively, leaving him unconscious, and Antoine sets his sights on Eggman himself and fires an arrow with an acid capsule, with which he manages to corrode a metal cover that had prevented the robotic dictator from being deactivated by the EM pulse.

"Vixen?" Antoine asks.

"I'm pointing to the hole in the metal cover, Frenchy." Fiona answers, with her "Taser-Fist" ready to shoot.

"Did you hear the vixen, Eggman?"

"Yes, I heard." The Doctor answers, grudgingly. "But first I have a question: Who are you? 'Hawkeye' or something like that?"

"I wish I was something like that. But I can't fly."

"I remember someone very like you. He was also a coyote, and he also had an accent from Mercia, but that accent was more pronounced, and he himself was a coward. His name's Antoine D'Coolette. Do you know him? Did you hear anything about him?"

"Yes, I heard about it. Remotely, but I heard about him, after all. But I remember hearing something different from what you say. I seemed to hear that he was charming from the ladies' point of view, to the point that they fainted when he passed near them." Antoine gives Bunnie a look, a look that Bunnie manages to capture. "Anyway, there's always the possibility that I've heard badly. Who knows?"

 _"Friends, get outta there. Right away."_ Tails warns through the communicator. _"This is gonna get ugly."_

" _D'accord_." Says Antoine, then turning to Eggman. " _Pardonnez-nous_ , _monsieur le docteur_ , but we have business to attend to, so we must withdraw. You want to do the honors, Vixen?"

"It will be a pleasure, Frenchy." Says Fiona, firing her Taser right into the dictator, who begins to tingle on the ground, because of the passage of electricity through his metal body.

"He will live." Says Fiona, deactivating her Taser. Once this is done, the four go to the exit.

When they arrive at the exit, they find the door closed. However, Rosemary appears out of nowhere and opens the door from the inside.

When they go outside, they face a difficult situation: 100 Hover units fly towards them; the ships are heavily armed and have shields, and each one also carries inside them several SWAT-bots, equally prepared to destroy everything that they find.

"I doubt we can escape." Says Amadeus, who's standing at the door, next to the group of infiltrators that has just left.

_"Dad, I didn't know you could be so pessimistic."_

After saying this, Tails appears in the sky and shoots one of the ships with the cannons of his hands. Now, the energy beams are greener and brighter, and they manage to cross and deactivate the shield and damage the fuselage of that Hover unit. Antoine takes the opportunity and shoots an arrow with a bomb, destroying the ship. In response, the other 99 ships start to chase and attack the AFFs while they try to escape from Robotropolis.

One of the ships starts to descend precisely in the middle of the path taken by the team, but Tails deactivates its shield, and then Bunnie destroys the ship with the cannon of her robotic arm. Despite this, some SWAT-bots manage to get off the ship, but Fiona deactivates them with her EM pulse cannon, and the team continues their escape.

Then, three ships surprise them, surrounding them and firing towards them with the laser cannons in their roofs.

However, the AFFs remain unharmed, surrounded by a green energy shield generated from the Tails' ATA suit.

"What's all this, Tails?" Sonic asks, astonished.

"Do you remember that, during the mission to save Station Square from the attack of the god Chaos, you became a Super form with the help of the Chaos Emeralds? Well, I've discovered that I possess, in my body, energy similar to that of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. I think I'm an Adept to Chaos."

"Are you serious? Do we have an Adept to Chaos in the family?" Rosemary asks.

"In fact, this shield is made from that energy. However, until this moment, I could only use it by putting together the seven Chaos Emeralds or taking the Master Emerald, thus becoming Turbo Tails, my Super form. But, with the ATA suit, I developed a system, governed by software also of my invention, with which I can take advantage of this potential energy of Chaos in my body without having to possess any Chaos Emeralds nor the Master Emerald. I called it _"System of Control and Manipulation of Potential Corporal Energy of Chaos for the Autonomous Use of the Abilities and Capacities of Turbo Tails"_ , although you can simply call it _"Control Turbo System"_. Although I can only take advantage of this energy, I can still do many things."

Outside the shield, SWAT-bots leave the ships and join the attacks. Despite this, the shots continue to be rejected, while Tails still speaks quietly.

"The shots from my cannons are a mix of the cannons' own energy with spears made of Chaos energy. My thrusters on my feet, with the addition of my Chaos energy, would allow me to travel off the planet. In addition, as is obvious, I can generate a force field that can act as a shield, but which can also serve as a kind of bubble, which would allow me to be in outer space while maintaining a reserve of oxygen with me inside that bubble; what I wouldn't be able to do would be to generate a force field at a distance, to contain something or someone other than myself, although I can generate a force field from myself and use it to contain others with me, as you can see; in short, whenever I want to generate a force field, it must be generated from myself, and I must be within it."

With his explanation finished, Tails expands his shield in all directions and with great speed. The shield hits and destroys all nearby SWAT-bots, and although the three Hover ships have shields, they're ignored by the Chaos energy shield, which also hits them and causes them to be destroyed by colliding with nearby buildings. After expanding, the force field is broken, and its energy returns to Tails' body in the form of lines of green light, similar to magnetic force lines.

The AFFs, now unprotected, resume their escape, while gradually destroying the other 95 ships. Meanwhile, Bunnie takes Sonic into her arms and Tails stands by her side, pointing the repulsor cannons of his hands to the sprinter's legs, apparently for the sole purpose of lighting them with its greenish light.

After an attack, the team members disperse, and Antoine is left alone, separated from the others. Preparing for the worst, the coyote pulls out his saber and activates the system to heat the filament to red hot.

Two SWAT-bots approach him, but the young soldier easily destroys them. Suddenly, a Shadow-bot hits him, causing him to lose his saber, and leaving him stunned and dizzy on the floor. The robot picks him up by his neck, ready to break it.

Suddenly, the blue hedgehog appears, destroying the Shadow-bot with his super-speed, while Antoine falls to the ground and tries to recover the lost air. Sonic approaches him, wielding the saber to give it to the coyote.

Antoine grabs the saber. " _Merci_... How did you manage to use your super-speed?"

"Better, let Tails explain it to you later, because I didn't understand it. And you're not obligated to thank me. We all know how important that saber is to you."

"I meant when you saved me from that robot."

Sonic stares at Antoine, unaware that another Shadow-bot is silently approaching him behind. But Antoine can see it.

"Watch out!" Shouting that, the coyote pushes Sonic violently to one side, jumps to the robot, clings firmly to one of its feet, climbs the metal surface with great agility, cuts the arms of the robot so it can't attack him, and finally he decapitates it. He does all this in a few seconds, almost without allowing the Shadow-bot to respond.

Sonic has a stunned look on his face, after seeing Antoine's performance in his fight against that Shadow-bot. Before either of them said anything, Tails appears on the spot, alone.

"We all are gathered. Follow me, so we can get outta here once and for all." Says the fox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glosario:
> 
> "Speaking of Rome...": Part of an Argentine popular phrase: "Hablando de Roma, el Papa se asoma." ("Speaking of Rome, the Pope appears."). When you have been talking about someone previously, and immediately after that someone makes an appearance, this phrase is often used.
> 
> More or less: The term is used as a reference to something that, roughly, is similar to what is being sought or what is being talked about. This term is also used as a synonym for "approximately" or "one could say that ...". It would also be the equivalent of "so so".
> 
> "First thing's first": Shortened form of saying "First, we will do the first thing that must be done". Although redundant, it is used to reaffirm that there are certain issues that need to be addressed before the others.
> 
> "Who knows?": It's a way of saying "How can you know that?" Or "How can you predict?". Its translation could be the interjection "Wonder!".


	8. Chapter 8: The end of the beginning.

It's 6:00 AM in the morning at Knothole. Rotor is waiting inside his workshop, along with Sally. Both are tired and have dark circles in their eyes, although they try to stay awake.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Sally? I'm back."

"Sonic? It's you?" Sally walks to the door and opens it, meeting the blue hedgehog. Immediately, she rushes over him, her eyes full of tears.

"I thought you weren't coming back... I thought all this was gonna end..."

"Sally..." Sonic tightly embraces the princess. He's being serious, unlike how he usually acts.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic." Both still embrace, in silence, observed by Rotor.

"Anyway, even if I hadn't survived, the Freedom Fighters wouldn't have ceased to exist." Says Sonic. "There would still be Antoine, Tails, Bunnie, Fiona, Tails's parents... If I died, they would continue the fight and win. I'm sure of that."

Sally undoes the hug. "How are they?"

"They're fine, now they went to sleep."

Sonic stares into nothingness, and Sally realizes this. "Sonic, is something wrong?"

"I shoulda talk to them, especially with Antoine and Tails."

"I know. And I should, too."

"You can deal with them at another time." Rotor intervenes. "They're probably gonna sleep until very late. Now, you too shoulda go to sleep."

"Good idea, Rotor..." says Sonic, making a big yawn right after. He and Sally retreat to one of the cabins.

* * *

It's already 1:00 PM. Antoine and Bunnie have been awake for a few hours. Previously, Bunnie had gone to the hospital to meet Dr. Quack. Now that she and the coyote are reunited, they're going to visit Tails in his workshop, but when they arrive, they don't find him anywhere.

"Where could he be?" Bunnie wonders.

"I think I know where he is. But you mustn't tell anyone about this." Says Antoine, advancing toward Fiona's hut, right next to the workshop.

* * *

When they both reach the hut, they knock on the door.

"I'm aware that Tails and Fiona are very close friends, but are they already dating?" Says Bunnie.

The coyote knocks on the door again, but neither Tails nor Fiona answers... at least not in the conventional way.

"Oh... Miles... I love you- Ahh...! Yeah... Yeah! Don't stop! You're the sexiest nerd in the world... Wanna be yours... I want you to make me scream... I want everyone to know that an 11-year-old named Miles Prower is in charge here... Miles, I wanna be your b****!"

"Fiona... I would never force you to do something like that... But if that's your decision... I'll have to keep it..."

"Ah! AAH! OOHHH! MILES! I LOVE YOU- OOHHH! AAAAAHHH! MIIIIIILES!"

Fiona's moans and screams continue to be heard from outside. It's also possible to listen to Tails, who breathes heavily, and even growls occasionally.

"I think we'll have to leave those two alone for a while, Bunnie." Says Antoine.

After saying this, Antoine and Bunnie retire and enter the Great Forest, walking towards Lake of the Rings. There, they both sit on the shore and start kissing. After about 10 minutes, they both start undressing, but they get to realize that someone is looking at them. When they check it, they find Sonic near the lake.

"Am I interrupting something important?"

"Actually..." Bunnie starts, straightening her clothes. "We were about to finish."

" _Oui_ , _c'est certain_." Adds Antoine with some frustration in his voice, while he tries to straighten his military uniform. "Is something important, Sonic?"

"I wanna talk to you alone." Says the hedgehog.

"Okay. Bunnie, could you leave us alone for a moment, if it doesn't bother you?"

"It's okay." Says Bunnie, who then comes over to speak to Antoine in the ear. "Later, we'll continue with our business."

" _Bien sûr_ , _ma chérie_." Says Antoine, letting Bunnie away from them. Then the coyote addresses the sprinter.

" _Alors_ , what do you want to talk about?"

"I wanna apologize to you." Says Sonic, in a serious tone. "I underestimated you, I treated you poorly. I got carried away by jealousy, by the matter of the competition to win the love of Princess Sally, and such things. I forgot you wanted the fall of Robotnik, and even today you want the fall of Eggman, in the same way that me and everyone else want it. Now, since you recognized your faults, I suppose I must recognize mine. It's true that you were a conceited and wanted to make a good impression on everyone, but I also seek to be the center of all attention and people to admire me. Besides, I and the others could have shown you that being a boastful was wrong, but instead we decided to use you. Tails' father was right: in the Freedom Fighters, we all have the same rights and duties, we all participate equally, we all have potential of some kind and we can help the team in some way. It's... sorta like a golden rule. Also, unlike other absurd rules, this is a rule that deserves to be fulfilled. And during these ten years, I've been breaking that golden rule. Honestly, I'm sorry for what I did. Now I see that you're an excellent Freedom Fighter, a colleague who deserves to be respected."

Antoine is silent for a moment. " _D'accord_ , Sonic Hedgehog. Officially, you're forgiven." He says, smiling and extending a hand toward Sonic. The hedgehog takes his hand, formalizing that the two of them have made peace.

"I also wanna thank you for what you did. You rescued me from what could have been my robotization, not to mention that they were going to torture me too, and then you saved me from a Shadow-bot. Antoine..." Sonic puts a hand on the young soldier's shoulder. "From now on, whenever you need anything, you can count on my help, no matter if it's... helping you on a mission against Eggman... making a good impression on your future in-laws when you wanna marry Bunnie..."

When Sonic mentions his future in-laws, Antoine can't help but laugh. "Okay, I get it... It's good to know this. Oh, and as for the matter of my relationship with Bunnie: I'd rather not go and announce this to all the villagers, but if you want to tell Sally or somebody else, I won't be angry."

"Okay, Antoine, has Tails already awakened?" Sonic asks.

" _Oui_ , but he's very busy, and I don't think interrupting him is a good idea."

"You're forgetting that Tails and I are friends and that I've known him almost since he was born. Although he's making some invention, he even receives me when I visit him."

"What happens is that Tails is with Fiona, and both are very, very good friends. Believe me, he wouldn't want to be interrupted."

"Anyway, I must talk to him. But I'll remember what you said. See ya!" That said, Sonic leaves the Great Forest running, while Antoine returns to the lake.

"Are you two finished yet?" Bunnie asks from a distance.

" _Oui_ , _mon amour_."

"Do we continue with what you and I had started?" Says the cyborg girl in a sensual voice, while she starts to undress.

"Of course, I'm someone who keeps his word." Says the coyote of Mercia, while he starts to remove his uniform. "Do you have your birth control pills?"

"No, but I went to the hospital a moment ago, and now I'm using an intrauterine device. It's healthier than pills, and equally effective. Don't worry."

When she finishes undressing, Bunnie gets into the lake and swims towards the small waterfall in it. The fact that part of her body is robotic don't poses difficulty to her. When she reaches the waterfall, she beckons the soldier to approach her. He obeys and swins towards her, and when he arrives, both begin to kiss with great passion and gather their bodies, while each of them begins to give their love to each other.

* * *

In Fiona's hut...

Tails is sitting on the bed, his back resting against the backrest. Fiona is sitting on his lap, facing her boyfriend and hugging him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hair disheveled, and her body totally naked. Both have a bed sheet partially covering their bodies.

"How is this possible?" Fiona asks.

"What?" Tails replies.

"The fact that you've started puberty and you're already able to make love, being only eleven years old."

"I suppose that will be a consequence of my being an Adept to Chaos. The same thing happens with my ability to fly."

"Was not your 'double tail mutation' caused by chance?"

"The mutation itself did occur because of chance. But, regarding my ability to use my tails like the blades of a helicopter... that is a consequence of my being an Adept at Chaos."

"And your intelligence?"

"It's probable that this also happened for the same reason."

"Miles... You're amazing. You're the best boyfriend a girl could have." The vixen kisses her boyfriend, keeping her lips connected to his for a long time.

"The same can be said of you, Fiona." The fox says, after breaking the kiss.

"Thanks." Fiona pauses. "I never thought you'd be so good in bed, considering this was your first time. How did you learn?"

"It hasn't been so impressive. The only thing I did was... follow my primal instincts." Tails replies, smiling triumphantly.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Tails, Fiona, is anybody there? It's me, Sonic. I need to talk to you, bro."

"Wait a minute!" Tails screams at the hedgehog, then turns to his girlfriend. "Put on some clothes."

Fiona starts dressing. When she finishes, she's wearing a nightgown and shorts. Both pieces are very tight to the body, which leaves little to the imagination. When she finishes, she gives Tails a pair of shorts. "You'd better put some clothes on, too. I guess you don't want others to see... the way your crotch gets excited when you see me." Fiona says.

Knowing what his girlfriend is referring to, Tails grabs the pants and puts them on. Then he opens the door and finds the hedgehog. "Hey, Sonic. Do you need anything?"

"I don't wanna bother you, I understood that you were spending some time with..." Sonic looks at Fiona, impressed by her beauty. "Hi, Fiona, you look... beautiful."

"Thank you, Sonic." Fiona answers seductively, while Tails gives her a look.

"Tails, I wanna apologize for calling you a "traitor" and for mistreating your parents. I also warn you that I apologized to Antoine." Says the sprinter.

"Okay, I forgive you." The fox answers, shaking hands with his friend.

Fiona approaches the child prodigy's ear. "We could tell him about us."

Tails listens to her, and then adresses the hedgehog. "Sonic, we have something to tell you: Fiona and I are dating."

Sonic keeps looking at the couple, surprised by this novelty. "Really?"

"Yes, we started our relationship ten months ago, shortly after she returned to be a member of the team."

Sonic is silent for a moment. "Well... Congratulations... for both of you..."

"Jealous?" Asks the red vixen.

"What? No! Of course not... Why do you say that?"

"Well... Apart from you, there are now two other guys who are successful with girls, and it would be understandable that you would consider them... competitors." She suggests.

Sonic stands up suddenly. "I'm not gonna let you say that. I'm the best with girls. Neither Tails, nor Antoine, nor anyone else can compare with me." Says the hedgehog, acting as if they had hurt their pride.

"If you say so..."

Then, Fiona approaches Tails, walking in a sensual way, trying to show her "physical attributes" as much as possible. When she reaches the fox, she takes a look at Sonic, and then kisses his boyfriend fox.

"Oh, come on... Do you two wanna use my jealousy to torture me? Tails, I apologized to you less than a minute ago."

"So what?" Says Tails, after breaking his kiss with Fiona. "Oh, there's one more thing I need to talk to you about: Tell Antoine, Bunnie, and my parents that I wanna meet them here."

"Speaking of Antoine and Bunnie: they came here to see you, but they knew you and Fiona were busy, and they left." Having said that, Sonic retires, going in search of the teammates of Tails.

* * *

Around 2:00 PM, the six AFFs are inside Fiona's house, sitting around the table. Going clockwise, they are: Fiona, Tails, Rosemary, Amadeus, Antoine and Bunnie. They're all eating a risotto made by Tails.

Antoine was the first one to speak: "Tails, there's something I forgot to ask you: How did you heal Sonic's legs and restore his super-speed?"

"Do you remember that, thanks to my ATA suit, I can have some access to the capabilities I had in my 'Turbo Tails' form?"

" _Oui_ , I remember it well. Does healing is one of those capabilities?"

"Exactly. With the ATA suit, I can heal myself, or project the energy of Chaos onto a wound and heal it. Anyway, by having the suit, when I heal someone who isn't myself, the process is slower, consumes more energy and can only be applied to one specific region of the body at a time, but it works at the end."

"I got it... I guess. _Je_ should instruct myself a little about this whole Chaos stuff."

"Later I can teach you, if you want."

" _Oui_ , _Merci beaucoup_ , Tails. _Alors_ , what did you want us to get together for? Is it something from our team?"

"That's right, Antoine. Friends, I want the six of us to define what we're gonna do with our team. Do we join the KFFs again? Do we join GUN? Do we join another Resistance group, or do we start working independently?"

* * *

It's 3:00 PM, and Sally is in her hut, having lunch. After sleeping until noon, now the princess has totally altered her biological clock. Anyway, she's already used to it, because of the many missions done at night.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Come in!"

The AFF enter the hut. " _Your Highness_ , we want to talk to you about our union to the team." Antoine announces.

"Okay, Antoine, what have you decided?" The chipmunk asks.

"The AFFs as such we'll work independently, although we won't exist within the official scope. However, if any group of the Resistance needs us, we'll join that group for the time needed, whether it's the KFFs, the Royal Army of Acorn, the Wolf Pack, some other Freedom Fighters group in some other place of Mobius, the Guardian Units of the Nations, etcetera." Tails says. "Another thing: we wouldn't bother to work for free, but if we're gonna work with some group able to pay us, like the Acorn Army or GUN, we'll do the missions as professionals, collecting some kind of... monetary retribution."

"You should understand that we're not 'mercenaries' exactly, since we don't work for _anyone_ who has money." Fiona intervenes. "But we prefer not to depend on a single group of the Resistance, such as the KFFs. It happens that we wanna fight on behalf of Mobius, and not in the name of some specific place."

"Some members of our team will be members of some other group of the Resistance at the same time, as 'links' with those groups." Bunnie adds. "For example, I and Antoine will rejoin the KFFs, and Colonel Prower will be in the Acorn Army."

"Okay, I accept." Says the chipmunk. "Tails, could we talk in private?"

"Of course." Tails replies. He gives a look to his teammates, and they leave the hut.

When the door closes, Sally looks serious and is staring at Tails. "What are you trying to do, Tails? What's all this?"

Tails looks at Sally, acting as if he's surprised. "A new group of Freedom Fighters, with a different methodology than other groups have." Says the fox.

"No. This you're doing, that of the Alternative Freedom Fighters, it's a rematch against us, against me. You're addressing this issue as a personal matter. You six are addressing this issue as a personal matter.

"You're not better than us in that respect. _Auntie Sally_ , I'll repeat the question already posed by my dear mother, Rosemary Prower: Are you trying to compete against the other Resistance groups?"

"I still have another question for you, _Miles Prower_ : You say that you're more mature and more intelligent, but you have in your team someone like Fiona Fox, someone who had already hurt your feelings before, who betrayed the KFFs, and who is manipulative and totally uncontrollable, so you can't predict what she will do, nor can you know what she really thinks. Is there something intelligent and / or mature in your decision to add her to your team? I warned you about that... _vixen_ before. I warned you about her a year and a half ago, when she joined the team for the first time, and I warned you about her a year ago, when you brought her back after her betrayal. Was there anything intelligent and / or mature in your decision to ignore me?"

Tails looks disgusted by Sally. Meanwhile, the princess realizes that the young fox tries to contain his anger, and then a thought crosses her head: a fistfight between Tails and Sonic, motivated by Fiona's betrayal and the fact that she had dated Sonic for a while. In that match, the hedgehog and his best friend were matched, and Tails could have beat Sonic if the fight hadn't stopped. Since then, for the KFFs in general, and for Sonic and Sally in particular, a truth whose existence had previously been suspected was demonstrated: if someone attacks Tails on a sentimental level, or if Sonic pretends to give him only the leftovers of his own success, or if someone tries to turn him into a mere subordinate, he can get very angry, and when that happens, the child prodigy becomes a true beast, someone mad, wrathful and vengeful, someone unstoppable and very dangerous for anyone who messes with him. Now, the chipmunk had spoken badly of Fiona, and given the reaction Tails seems to be having at that very moment by having listened to her, something else is evident to Sally.

"You're still in love with her." Says the chipmunk. "That b**** keeps on blinding you with her beauty and her arts to fool unwary people. I thought you were smarter, Tails."

"Believe me, I'm a lot smarter than I look, I'm not a nerd either." Tails replies with a typical manic smile. "I have a novelty for you: for ten months, I am, officially, Fiona's boyfriend."

Sally doesn't know what to answer. Knowing that the princess will delay in elaborating an answer, Tails continues speaking.

"When Fiona betrayed us, she gave me a very hard slap, but before, she told me something that would be very important to me later: 'You can not trust anyone'. I am not saying that I agree with that, since Fiona regrets that she has told me, and we both trust each other today, apart from the fact that there is trust in our relationship with my parents, Bunnie and Antoine. However, at that moment, I managed to rescue a truth from that phrase: I was being too naive, so I had to change to be someone really mature; however, that didn't necessarily mean denying my nature as a good, intelligent and cheerful mobian. When I met her again and rescued her from those robots in Mercia, I behaved in a more mature fashion, although the situation in which she was -abandoned by her boyfriend and attacked by robots- was obvious. While I was watching her closely, I cared for her, encouraged her to be someone better, made her into someone worthy of being a Freedom Fighter, and I also realized that she sincerely regretted having done what she did; then I forgave her, and I also took the trouble to convince the King to grant her the Royal Pardon. Two months after her return, Fiona confessed her feelings for me, and she even cried for all the harm she had inflicted on me before. And then I saw, again, that she was being honest: she wasn't trying to deceive me, she didn't throw herself at my feet in a theatrical way while she was asking me for forgiveness; on the contrary, she did what she used to do, which was to contain her tears and hide her weakness. So I became her boyfriend. And today at noon, Fiona and I lived the most intimate and romantic moment we could have had in our lives, and she seemed to be enjoying herself a lot at the time, since she didn't feel forced or embarrassed, and she also constantly asked me to... well, you know." Tails broadens his cheeky grin, while still talking.

"Now, it's better that _Your Highness_ be cautious with me." Tails' tone of voice changes suddenly, turning into a sinister and threatening tone. "Instead of treating myself as a child or as a naive, or saying that I'm addressing some issue as a personal matter, or insult my girlfriend, you should make some changes yourself: be more mature, don't let yourself be influenced by emotions or by the sympathy / antipathy you have towards someone in particular, and stop considering relationships with other Resistance groups as if this were a competition. That way of acting, which is even older than the King himself, is what causes the failure of a team, and even produces the failure of several allied teams fighting against a common enemy. Until you change that, I won't join the KFFs again. In fact, you should change a lot: When we were walking here, we met with Lupe Wolf, who was about to leave again with the Wolf Pack, and she told us what she talked to you last night; at that moment, I thought we were gonna meet with a mature and intelligent leader, and I thought about the possibility of returning to the team, but now I can see that you've not changed."

Tails stands up and goes to the door. "We'll inform the King about our new team, so he will know. And I think I'll have to tell him personally about the AFFs. After all, you, Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, seem much less reliable than Fiona."

While Tails leaves the hut, Sally keeps staring at the door through which the two-tailed fox has gone. She had received a lot of unexpected information: the romantic relationship between Fiona and Tails, the fact that the couple had made love, the threatening tone with which the fox spoke, and a level of astuteness never seen in him. The princess would have to get accustomed to this new reality: Tails changed, and changed quite quickly; Fiona was no longer the treacherous girl she knew; the Resistance could no longer be organized as if it were several groups fighting on their own... After all, she still had a lot to learn to be a good leader.

* * *

The next day, while at Knothole it's 5:00 PM, in Central City it's already 10:00 PM. Commander Abraham Tower is in his office, about to end his workday as Chief of GUN and return home.

After signing some papers, he turns on the TV for a moment, while storing his belongings in a briefcase. At that moment, his secretary enters.

"Commander, Antoine D'Coolette on line four." He says.

"Thank you, Connor." Tower says, and he immediately picks up the phone and dialing number 4.

_"Bonne nuit, monsieur le commandant. I hope I didn't bother you by phoning you at this hour."_

"It's all right, Mr. D'Coolette. What do you need?"

_"We, the Alternative Freedom Fighters, are sending you a file right now. They're our terms and conditions to hire us. I also want to warn you that the six of us will go to the United Federation in a few weeks, since King Maximilian Acorn asked us to go there to "strengthen ties with you"; at the same time, we planned to enjoy our stay in your country. What do you think?"_

"I think it's a good idea, _monsieur_."

_"It seems that you have a good command of my language."_

" _Merci beaucoup_ , Antoine. Let me give you a sample of my hospitality: when you arrive, I'll pay all your expenses."

_"Vraiment? Well, if you want to do it... Oh, and there's something else I want to tell you. Turn on the TV, and watch Central City's Channel 12. Right now."_

Tower puts channel 12 on his TV, and sees a mysterious figure talking. His appearance remains in the shadow, but his silhouette seems to be that of a mobian fox.

The fox begins to speak with a voice altered intentionally so that the subject can't be identified: _"You've already seen us on television on previous occasions."_ At that moment, the television shows images of the battle where Eggman's nuclear arsenal and much of his army of robots were destroyed. Images are still displayed while the subject speaks. _"We're a professional team, specializing in acting as a reinforcement for all those who wish for the fall of Dr. Eggman, although we can take care of other threats to the welfare of Mobius' people. If you want to hire our services, you just call this number. It's a totally safe and free telephone line."_ Meanwhile, a phone number appears. _"Call us, and you can count on the services of..."_

Suddenly, the screen turns red, and appear, one by one and in white, the letters of an acronym: AFF.

_"The Alternative Freedom Fighters."_

Immediately afterwards, images of the AFFs missions continue to be displayed, while the musical curtain sounds.

[ **Soundtrack:** Musical theme of the TV series "The A-Team".]

Tower is still staring at the TV, with a completely blank face, while holding the phone in his hand.

_"Monsieur Tower, are you there? What do you think of our advertising? It's extraordinaire."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this has been the end of "Origins," the First Episode in my series on Alternative Freedom Fighters. Please give me your comments, because they are of great help to me. If you like my work, click on "Favorite" or "Follow", either for me or my fanfic.
> 
> From now on, in my stories, I'm going to introduce songs that I will recommend to listen while you read some specific scene (something like a "soundtrack").
> 
> Now, I leave an advance of "Diplomatic Mission", the second episode of my series of Antoine and the AFF:
> 
> Dear Reader, I invite you to follow the adventures of the new team of Freedom Fighters, consisting of: Miles Prower, the scientific genius with his Armor of Advanced Technology; is parents, the expert Colonel Amadeus Prower and the agile and undetectable agent Rosemary Prower; the beautiful and electrifying -literally- Tails' girlfriend, Fiona Fox; the strong and determined Bunnie Rabbot, and her boyfriend, Antoine D'Coolette, a young Mercia soldier with great potential and many tricks up her sleeve. Accompany the Alternative Freedom Fighters while they, joining forces with GUN and their "Team Dark", fight all kinds of enemies: ex-boyfriends with a desire for revenge; criminals from parallel universes; evil versions of Mobius inhabitants; conspirators who seek to awaken ancient wicked and very powerful magicians; the Dark Egg Legion, and one of its leaders, who is also associated with one of the members of the AFF. Meanwhile, controversial data will be revealed about King Maximilian Acorn, as well as several negative aspects of General Armand D'Coolette, Antoine's father.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this next story, which I will start to publish shortly (at most, within a month).
> 
> As I said in my profile, I recommend that you do the following, please: If you have liked some history of my authorship, recommend it to others; on the other hand, if you do not like them, send me a comment with your complaints.


End file.
